A Cold Day /Between/ (open)

[jennah]

Jennah was like some sort of troll. He lurked in the infirmary to shout and wave his fists at all of those who were brave enough to wander into his realm. Occasionally he would be spotted briefly outside of the immediate vicinity of the infirmary and his personal quarters, but his appearances were sporadic at best, particularly during the day. The members of the Weyr would be surprised at best to realize that the strange man huffing around the kitchen was Jennah the Weyrhealer. Jennah the broken Weyrhealer.

He couldn’t exactly place what had placed him in such a good mood. It was probably because the rest of the Weyr was miserable. Ever since the hatching an impenetrable gloom had been looming over everything and everybody. He found that the more miserable his fellow Weyrfolk were, the happier he felt. What was more, the infirmary had been busier than it ever had been since the poisoning. Jennah hated himself for considering that a good thing, but h couldn’t really help himself. When the Weyr was ill, he had work to do. When he had work he was happier. It wasn’t a real happiness. It was a dark and morbid sort of glee that made him move dangerously. He was reckless. He could tell that this was a dangerous mood to be in, particularly with the political situation being the way it was.

His shift was long over in the infirmary. One of the more daring journeymen chased him out of the infirmary and told him to take a break and go to bed. Going to bed simply wasn’t an option. He had spent the past few sleepless nights pouring over old records and combing dusty hides for possible medical gems, but he was exhausted beyond the point where his mind was really working properly. It was time to do something else.

For a few hours at least, Jennah turned himself into a cook rather than a healer. He had prepared an incredibly intricate dish involving several exotic ingredients (one of the perks of being the Weyrhealer was that you could stumble into the kitchen, demand a bottle of wine and a list of ingredients and the few cooks on the night-shift would give them to him). Kovah was parched delicately on the edge of a large bowl watching her master carefully. Jennah clapped his hands together, took a deep swig from the bottle, and looked over his domain.

Tonight he would cook. A reckless smile spread over his face as Kovah peeped a warning. He would have witnesses to his madnesses tonight!

[Memorie]

Tujal yawned. She wanted a midnight snack. Ever since the news of her impending flight had become well-known, she hadn't slept well at night, unless she was sleeping next to I'slen. And since the rest of the weyr seemed to know about their relationship, and they didn't want it to get back to Lyrai, they hadn't been sleeping together. So Tujal didn't sleep. Amenth did, and that was good enough for both of them.

Tujal wandered into the kitchen to attempt to find decent food. It was the middle of the night, and so, while she didn't expect to find much in the way of food, she also didn't expect to find many people either. In the outer area of the kitchens, she was opening pantries and cabinets, attempting to find something edible, she heard some banging around in the depths of the place, near the stoves. Her eyes squinted. Who would be here at this time of night?

You are, Amenth told her. Tujal sighed.

Go back to sleep. I hadn't realized I was thinking so loudly. I'm sorry, Amenth.

Quite alright, Tujal. Come back soon.

Okay, I will. She didn't mention that she was going to find out who was making such a ruckus. She opened the door.

When she saw who it was, she was remotely surprised. "Weyrhealer Jennah, what are you doing here, and at this time of night? I almost never see you outside of the Infirmary." It was odd. Well, it was odd to see a man like him in the Weyr at all. Most people who lost their dragons left the Weyr forever, and refused to return. The candidate who had Impressed and lost his dragon in the same moment, even though the touch was barely there, had left the Weyr within hours and went back home. It was sad.

[brimstone81]

Panthea had been restless that night. It was just something that happened every once in a while. She had been awoken by a dream. It was so livid, so real, and she was frightened. The dream had been about the hatching, and it started off good. She shuddered, remembering and going over the dream, Panthea had been allowed to stand for the gold egg like the few other girls were. It had been a brilliant day when the hums of dragons got louder, and louder, and louder. Panthea had gotten dressed, full of hope, for this was judgment day. This day could make or break her, either by impressing or not. Still she had confidence and stood with her head high. It was when the queen egg that her dream was hushed and it was like the dragon and her were alone. Then things went terribly wrong. The dragon charged at her with claws unfurled and just before the dragon lunged at her the dream simply ended. It was Panthea's greatest fear, to be mauled, and a few times before this dream had scared her from sleep. Needless to say, she could not will her eyelids to shut tonight.

She had wandered into the kitchens, unaware that she was being followed by a very concerned firelizard. She had come into the kitchens expecting a lowercavrens woman or two, but was met by the sight of a goldrider and the Weyrhealer. She stopped and then quickly curtsied low. "Good evening, Lady, and Master Jennah."

Fellis crooned softly as her greeting, ever the diplomat, and curled herself up on top of Panthea's dark hair, like a regal crown. Panthea herself blushed, very few people knew about Fellis, and many wondered where a former weyrbrat got such a creature.

[jennah]

Jennah was a master of dangerous smiles. Whenever he smiled he looked like his face was going to fall off. He flashed his teeth and turned around with a wide-eyed and reckless smile. Kovah huffed her chest up and looked very pleased with herself. She flittered up to one of the supporting rafters in the kitchen as to get a better look at the company. Jennah uncharacteristically spread his arms wide (with a bottle clenched in one hand, he was slightly tipsy, but far from drunk) and gestured to his outlay, “M’dear, I’m making a feast.”

He offered the young queenrider no other explaination, primarily because he could barely explain what he was doing to himself. Telling her that he thrived in misery would just make him sound morbid, and telling her that cooking proved to be an effective occasional catharsis might’ve given her (and other people) ideas about how to better soothe his mind. He took a sip from his bottle of wine and looked at Tujal carefully. He had heard some juicy rumors about her and a certain Weyrling Master. While he didn’t exactly care for gossip he found it very interesting to know about the human side of the Weyr’s future leaders.

Before he could say another word Panthea walked into the kitchen. He was pleasantly surprised to see her. It would be good for her see him in this sort of state. She wasn’t one of his apprentices, he knew that the only times he had seen her involved sniveling and crazies. Kovah noticed the young queen immediately and quarbled something of a hesitant greeting. Jennah smiled, “Two ladies are gracing my presence today. Shall you care to help me?”

[brimstone81]

Fellis looked at Kovah and chirpped pleasantly enough. However the queen did not leave Panthea's head. In fact, the gold firelizard seemed to fall asleep where she lay, and the girl found it difficult to move her head under the bulk. Panthea touched the little firelizard lightly, and then rubbed under Fellis' chin. A droopy left eye opened and whirled with contentment. The 'lizard relaxed her grip in the dark hair, and Panthea gently pulled the lizard off, her hair mussed up. The gold, not wishing to be cuddled like a child, escaped Panthea's long, finely boned hands and flew to a high place above the hearth to sleep. Panthea ran her fingers through her hair to straighten it a bit.

"I never knew you were a master of the kitchens as well. Perhaps you should give the head cook fair warning lest you take her job. I'd love to help you, Jennah, excpet that i seem to have forgotten an apron to sheild my clothes." Panthea smiled, inclining her head slightly. She looked at what he was doing and his progress. She wondered why the other two were up. Maybe they had nightmares too? She doubted they would be about being mauled. Panthea was a little ashamed of her weakness. She tried to put up a brave front, but her dreams seemed to get the better of her some times. And they weren't even real, tangible things. She looked back at Jennah with a grin, hoping they wouldn't ask her why she was up, "If you have one for me, I would."

[Memorie]

Tujal watched Panthea with a critical eye. The girl seemed all too willing to please the Weyrhealer, for sure. She almost laughed, let loose with a snicker, and nodded her head. "I doubt I'll be much help. I'm only here for something sweet." She half-smiled. "It would seem that a maturing dragon has a helping hand on the appetite of the rider." Perhaps she wasn't being exactly sensitive to the ex-rider. But he had chosen to stay around at the Weyr after his green had died, so whatever he heard was his own problem, not hers.

While it was not odd to see the Weyrhealer up and awake at such an hour, it was odd to see a candidate. Candidates, she remembered from experience, often had entire days of exhausting chores to do before retiring. "Candidate Panthea," Tujal said, for she remembered the girl's name, "Why are you awake at such an hour?"

[jennah]

(post tomorrow...haha, cue the juicy rumors of JennahXPanthea)

[brimstone81]

It was the very question she did not want ot hear. Why was Panthea here? She should be in bed, asleep, like other good little candidates. Panthea did not want to be a whiner, and she did not really want to say or explain herself. She wanted to say to Tujal, why does it matter? or I'm not exactly sure that it's your business. But Panthea thought better of it. Tujal would be the wrong person to stand against. Panthea couldn't waste her ambitions and get in more trouble lest the Candidate Master decides she wouldn't be fit to stand. Panthea turned to Tujal and simply stated the truth, however vague, "I couldn't sleep."

She stood to the side, not sure if she liked the way the goldrider gazed at her. Like she was being scrutinized. Like the woman knew something. Panthea knew how rumors flew around the lower cavrens. It was, in all reality a form of entertainment. Panthea was sure that Tujal wouldn't say anything about her friendship with the dragonless Jennah. It was just a friendship, but the candidate had been surprized to hear the romance rumors between herself and the healer come right from the mouth of one of her friends. It seemed absurd to her that people liked to talk about things so personal with out even being sure if it was true. Yet Panthea had heard almost anything that came through the grapevine, and she had heard about 'high profile relationships,' like the queenrider's alleged one. Of course there were always whisperings, but even a goldrider couldn't escape it.

[Memorie]

Tujal nodded. She could certainly sympathize, and it wasn't like Panthea would have come to meet Jennah here. And even if she had, who cared? If the pretty candidate girl ruined her chances at gold, it was her own fault. "Good enough for me," she told the girl. "You see any sweet bark anywhere?" she asked, turning to a close food pantry. "Flame and char me if I know where these cooks keep their wares." She sighed and shrugged. "I am afraid I've never had much experience in the kitchen. The one shortcoming of being a Lord's daughter, I suppose."

She continued to rummage around in the cabinet until she found her sweet treat. "Ah, there we go," she said, smiling and pulling out a container of the stuff. She pulled the lid off and reached inside. Within seconds, her hand had a stick of sweet bark clutched. Tujal replaced the container, lid in place, and smiled at Jennah and Panthea. "Goodnight Weyrhealer Jennah, Candidate Panthea. May your cooking prevail." She turned on her heel and left.

((Tujal to I'slen's Weyr. Cue Gossip. ^_~))