The World of Pern(tm) is copyright to Anne McCaffrey (c) l967. 
The Dragonriders of Pern(r) is a registered copyright.

This is a log of roleplay on PernMUSH, available online by permission of 
Anne McCaffrey, author of the Pern novels, and recorded by A.S. Korra'ti 
(piper@murkworks.net), player of Mehlani of Telgar Weyr on PernMUSH. 
This log may be distributed freely as long as this header remains intact. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

Log Date:
	8/27/98

Log Cast:
	(People) Mehlani, Ro, Jorenan, K'tyn, Tiaryn, Aurian, M'hryn, Nathan

	(Dragons) Prometh, Kvasith

	(Firelizards) Rianet

Log Intro:
	Life for Mehlani around Telgar Weyr has been fairly quiet lately.
No longer a Candidate, she has only the dilemmas of whether to choose a
Craft -- and how to choose between Jorenan or K'star -- before her. It's
an almost peaceful situation for her, even as Telgar has to get used to
queenrider Kindre taking over as Senior Weyrwoman and M'hryn of Ista coming
in as the new Weyrleader... and how K'tyn has to get used to Mehlani 
growing up...

----------
Your location's current time: 15:47 on day 21, month 2, Turn 24, of the Tenth 
  Pass. It is a winter afternoon.

A quietly treading, thoughtful-eyed Mehlani slips into the dorms, an undone 
  parka hanging loose about her slender frame, her cheeks still somewhat 
  flushed with what must be outside's cold.

Ro slips on her robe and grabs a towel. Her destination is not difficult to 
  guess.

Drawing within earshot and range of her younger friend, Mehlani pauses, and 
  smiles softly. "Hello, Ro..." She's got Rianet on her shoulder at the 
  moment, the green's eyes alertly whirling, silvery-jade-hued against her hat.

Jorenan has arrived.
Jorenan didn't just come from his cot. He came into the room with a bunch of 
  packages and his riding gear. From his clothes, it's likely he's been 
  working the Boll Gather.

Ro stops to smile at Mehlani and murmur a soft "Afternoon, lani. Been 
  outside?" as four little FL heads poke out of various places.
Ro is smudged and dirty. It is a pretty easy guess that she was cleaning 
  something today.

'Lani earnestly bobs her head, observing simply, "Exercising Nightsong..." 
  Rianet chirples prettily to Ro and her coterrie of winged companions. Her 
  human, too, is rather mussed, and Mehlani asks gravely, "May I join you...?"

Ro blinks, surprised for a moment, before regaining her composure and saying 
  "Sure, that's be nice. It's been a while, after all." A mischivious glint 
  comes to her eyes "It should be fun."

Mehlani's blue eyes brighten gently, and she nods, slipping off to her cot to 
  divest herself of her heavy outer garments. Rianet, in the meantime, her 
  little head siveling around this way and that, happens to spy the passing 
  figure of Jorenan across the way, and she chirruples loudly as Mehlani pulls 
  off snow-dampened, work-scuffed boots.

Jorenan sets his things on his cot, and then looks over at the other two and 
  their various firelizards. "Hullo," he says in his usual quiet way. He 
  smells faintly of Gather foods, newly varnished furniture, and newly woven 
  clothing. "How're you two?"

Mehlani can be noted to pinken softly as Jorenan's attention swings their way, 
  but a small shy smile also flickers into being along her mouth. Rianet 
  croons, and Mehlani murmurs around her pet's inquisitively stretched-forth 
  head, "We're going to the springs, Jorenan... hello..."

Ro sighs "Well enough, though cleaning these dorms has be quite a chore. I 
  can't wait to get all this grim off." She wrinkles her nose in disgust at 
  the smudges on her skin.

Mehlani fetches herself a robe and a towel from her press, Rianet fluttering 
  to keep her balance on her shoulder, and then 'Lani moves to join her friend.

Ro smiles and heads for the lower caverns, leading the way. She bids Jorenan a 
  friendly goodbye on her way out.

Mehlani smiles timidly at Jorenan, her gaze lingering on the young man as she 
  slips out after Ro.

Ro walks off towards the Inner Cavern.
Ro has left.

[And shortly...]

You enter the tunnel leading out to the steamy springs.
Telgar Hot Springs
Nestled between several rock outcroppings lie several pools of water and 
  smoothed, flat rocks angled towards the sky. Immediately, the warmth of 
  geothermally heated water reaches you, and you see steam rising from the 
  springs pools.
Two smaller pools with another, much larger pool past them, rest here. A cliff 
  rises over one end of the large pool, with steps to climb up to the top. 
  (Use 'places' to see the various springs.)
A large tunnel works its way back into the innards of the Weyr, eventually 
  leading those without wings to the inner caverns. Those who do can fly up 
  and over the rim to Telgar's southern bowl.
Contents:
Ro
Prometh(#3353JOaes$)
Sorath(#3377JQaemqs$)
Pile O' Sand
Obvious exits:
Inner Cavern  Bowl  

Ro walks in, her skin much smudged with dirt.

Mehlani, looking over her shoulder, seems to have left half her attention back 
  in the dorms. Rianet, fortunately, is still clinging to her shoulder, and 
  the little green chitters before 'Lani bumps into anything untoward or falls 
  into one of the pools.

Prometh lays down upon the sunning rocks.

Ro slips out of her robe, placing it and her towel upon a nearby ledge.

Mehlani moves to follow Ro, murmuring softly, "Yes, Ria, yes, I know..." as 
  the green keeps up a steady stream of chatters. Only when 'Lani has settled 
  down at the edge of the pool does Rianet seem to believe that her human 
  isn't about to trip and fall and drown herself, and Mehlani consideringly 
  starts unlacing her shirt.

Well behind Prometh's broad side, K'tyn is apparently finishing giving the 
  bronze a good scrubdown. Prometh rumbles, eyeing the pair, and K'tyn calls 
  out from under a translucent wing, "Hey there, whoever it is. Don't mind us."

Ro takes a few quick steps to the edge of a nearby pool and dives in. When she 
  surfaces again, she replies "Don't mind us, sir."

Mehlani lifts her head at the sound of Prometh's rumble, and she bobs that 
  head at the big bronze by way of quiet greeting, trusting that Prometh will 
  tell his rider she's present if Prometh wishes it. She does also smile at 
  the dragon, though, as off comes her shirt, and then, shyly, the rest of her 
  garments. Rianet flutters down to play on the surface of the pool, leaving 
  'Lani to wade in, tucking her hair up under her hat.
Mehlani, in the meantime, asks Ro softly, "I hope you have been well...?"

Jorenan walks in from outside the room.
Jorenan has arrived.
Jorenan strolls in, towel around his waist and soapsand in hand.

Working his way around to the bronze's muzzle, K'tyn scrubs the brilliantly 
  gaudy dragon's hide with vigor. "Almost done," he mutters, more to the 
  twiching bronze than to anyone else. "You get bigger with every passing day, 
  Prometh. Either that, or I'm just older."

Ro murmurs "Well enough really. There haven't been any dragonhealer classes of 
  late, so I haven't been learning much, but there seems to be plenty else to 
  do...." She turns to look at her friend as she speaks, but suddenly just 
  stops in midsentence, finally saying in a stunned voice "'Lani, where's your 
  shift?"

K'tyn climbs down from Prometh's neck.
K'tyn has arrived.

Not noticing either Jorenan's entrance or K'tyn's approach from around 
  Prometh, Mehlani blinks at her friend, and then murmurs back to her, "I... 
  have to _wash_..." She dips her chin briefly down at herself, as if to 
  append that washing oneself does tend to be difficult when one is clad.

Ro nods, pouring herself some sweetsand before handing the rest of the jar to 
  the behatted one.

Jorenan tosses his towel to one side and slides into the water with a pleased 
  noise. "Hullo again," he says to Mehlani and Ro.

"Thank you," says 'Lani softly to Ro -- but as she spies Jorenan at last, 
  prompted by Rianet's pleased trill, Mehlani pinkens rather more noticeably 
  than one might expect from the warmth of the cavern.

Jorenan is generally oblivious to any pinkening by anyone for any reason, as 
  he has ducked completely under the water to get wet. When he resurfaces, he 
  scrubs at his face and ends up with hair sticking up in the most outrageous 
  directions.

Tiaryn walks in from outside the room.
Tiaryn has arrived.

Engrossed in scrubbing his recalcitrant dragon, K'tyn pays little attention to 
  those about him. This is the baths; people come and go, and many have since 
  he's started this chore. "Blast, Prometh! Hold still! Twill only take longer 
  if you move!" The bronze dragon is apparently trying to keep an eye on who 
  is coming and going... he's just that type... Paranoid, some might say.

'Lani swallows hard, standing there apparently transfixed, the sweetsand jar 
  still held in her dainty hands. Jorenan's apparent oblivion seems to 
  initially baffle her and then somehow relieve her, and the girl finally 
  sinks down cautiously into the water, scooping out daubs of sand to scrub 
  over her pale skin.

Tiaryn peeks around the corner of the entrance, and then makes her way to one 
  of the smaller pools, testing the water with her toes.

The hair thing only gets worse as Jorenan applies soapsand to his hair and 
  skin with vigor. He comments to those close by, "A bath after a day in a 
  tent full of food and sweets is a wonderful thing." He gives Prometh a 
  thoughtful look as he watches everyone come and go, and then says, "Is he 
  paranoid someone's going to yank on his tail, K'tyn?" He gives Tiaryn a nod.

Rianet, Mehlani's oldest green, is fluttering around the area, and she 
  chirrups cheerfully to Tiaryn at her arrival. 'Lani glances over and bobs 
  her head at the other girl; Mehlani is wearing nothing but that battered 
  brown hat that appears to be a permanent part of her head, her hair tucked 
  up beneath it, damp tendrils peeking out from under the brim.

Ro lathers up her sweetsand and goes about scrubbing away smudges of dirt and 
  grime, seemingly unwilling to allow any trace of filth to remain on her soft 
  beige skin. To Jore she says "I'd rather do that than scrub the dorms....you 
  want to trade next time?"

Tiaryn smiles softly at Mehlani, and grins at her flit, before dropping her 
  towel to the floor a ways from the pool and sinking in to her chin with a 
  sigh of relief.

K'tyn looks up and around, now that someone's called him by name. "Eh?" he 
  says toward Jorenan, smiling at the others in the room-his gaze turning 
  appreciative at the sight of the young women. "Tis just how he is, Jor. He's 
  wary of others. Always has been. But there are a few that have caught his 
  eye--and to them, he's as protective as any Gold over her clutch." No, he 
  doesn't quite grasp that it's LANI there, unclothed. Lani's ten turns old -- 
  or looks that way. And that is not a ten-turn old's body, so that can't be 
  her. "Heya there," he says to them all, blinking a bit. No, it just doesn't 
  register.

Regardless of her subjective or actual age in the mind of Prometh's rider, 
  Mehlani turns where she sits in the pool, her face full of earnest inquiry, 
  much of her front streaked with the sand with which she's started to scrub. 
  "Do you need help with him?" she inquires.

Ro ducks under the water to rinse the lather from her now clean skin and then 
  stands up, pulling the thong from her hair so it falls free and walking over 
  to the edge of the pool to get more sweetsand to wash it.
Ro seems as yet oblivious to K'tyn's distress.

Tiaryn soaps up a handful of sand and begins lathering her hair, she 
  acknowledges the others in the room with a weary smile when addressed. She 
  ducks under the water and lathers the hair again, this time watching the 
  dragon in the next pool over curious eyes.

Prometh stares at his rider, amusement clearly seen in the bronze dragon's 
  eyes as the color changes from a yellow-orange whorl to something distinctly 
  green. "Uh," K'tyn says intelligently, the bronze nosing him, rather hard so 
  that he falls face first into the water. Rising to his feet, K'tyn glares at 
  his dragon, then blinks as Prometh apparently speaks to him. "Uh--No, that's 
  not ri--" K'tyn turns to stare at Mehlani, then Ro, then Jorenan, as they 
  are closer... his gaze returning to Mehlani's indubitably grown up form. 
  BLINK. "Uh, He's ....We're done. Thanks for asking," The bronzerider says 
  almost mechanically as the bronze in question rumblechuckles.

Ro blinks and says quickly, worry evident in her expression "Are you okay, 
  sir?" unconciously taking a step forward as she does so, sweetsand and her 
  hair forgotten.

Mehlani has to stand up a bit to set the sweetsand jar on the side of the 
  pool, and as she does, the lass seems to grasp that the former Weyrleader is 
  having a hard time looking at her. She's still blushing, but she says 
  steadily and softly, "You're welcome..." And she sinks back into the pool, 
  up to her breastbone.

K'tyn says "I'm fine!" He backs up through the water, splashing in his haste 
  to move from away. "J-just...fine. Really." His gaze rests anywhere but on 
  soapsand covered young woman, though there seem to be a lot of them about 
  here as he grins, looking from one to the other to rest on Tiaryn (very 
  briefly --she's female and soapsand covered, and therefore a reminder of his 
  Foster-Daughter who seems to have blossomed amazingly.)"

Ro leans over to murmur something in Mehlani's ear.
Ro mutters to Mehlani, "... Do you... like a... war?"
Ro whispers "Prometh looks like he wants to play. Do you think he'd like a 
  little splashing war?"

Jorenan recovers from a serious case of water in the ears, and then just grins 
  quietly. He continues to scrub at his fairly grimy arms and upper chest.

Rather less concerned about K'tyn's discomfort than the possible reactions 
  from _another_ male in the cavern, though Mehlani is hardly insensitive to 
  the bronzerider's embarrassment, Mehlani still looks a trifle unsettled. But 
  she turns her head to listen to Ro, and she grins just a bit, one side of 
  her mouth curling up.
Mehlani mutters to Ro.
You whisper "Perhaps...!" to Ro.

Ro says softly "Shall we then?" Her eyes sparkle silvery-bright with merriment 
  and mischief.

There's just a bit of a nod from the quiet girl in the hat, but that's more 
  than enough from anyone used to dealing with Mehlani.

Tiaryn finishes soaping her hair, and raises an eyebrow at the confused rider, 
  then looks at Mehlani with a questioning quirk to her eyebrows, but then 
  just shakes her head in amusement and beginning to scrub her evenly golden 
  tan torso.

Ro dives and swims just below the surface toward Prometh without another word.

Jorenan chooses that particular moment to sink back under the water and rinse 
  off. When he returns to the surface, he is no longer quite so ridiculous 
  looking. Hair slicked back and skin gleaming, he looks more like an acrobat 
  ready to put on a show. Sadly, there's no show following. Just a thoughtful 
  look at K'tyn, a quirk of the eyebrow, and then he leans back to watch the 
  show. Whatever it's going to be.

"Hey, Jorenan," K'tyn says rather distractedly. "Got any more s-sand?" Gee! 
  Even the idea of soap sand is... somehow therefore embarrassing.

Mehlani, without a sound, slips underwater, therefore proving that the hat 
  actually _does_ come off, for when she goes under, it's left behind floating 
  on the pool's surface. 'Lani streaks silently after Ro.

Tiaryn sinks below the water to rinse off, and then pulls herself up on the 
  side of the pool, reaching for her towel.

Jorenan nods. "Sure, K'tyn," he says. He picks his up and then heads toward 
  K'tyn to hand it to him.

Ro nears Prometh, not yet surfacing.

Tiaryn towels at her hair vigourously, before wrapping herself in the towel, 
  still perched on the side of the pool. She watches the scene in front of her 
  with silent amusement.

K'tyn accepts Jorenan's soapsand, eagerly scrubbing himself. "Thanks. So... 
  how's things, eh? Liking the Bakercraft?" It's just idle conversation, but 
  Kiat makes it sound like it's of vital interest to him.

Ro bursts out of the water, her arms swinging up, sending a spray of water at 
  Prometh.

And 'Lani, a beat behind Ro, shoots ceilingward in an arc of droplets, also 
  splashing the bronze, and startling Rianet in the process.

Jorenan blinks at K'tyn. And then grins slowly. He knows that tone, even if it 
  still makes him feel important. "The Craft prospers," he says with a grin. 
  "And I--" he stops. As well he might; you never know how a giant beasty is 
  going to react to these things.

Trying to sneak up on Prometh is usually a very -bad- idea. This is the dragon 
  that nearly gutted a clutchmate for pinioning his rider in weyrling hood. 
  However, considering those who are doing the splashing, Prometh halts an 
  instintive resplash -- instead contenting himself with a bellow that gets 
  his rider's attention immediately. "Hey! Watch it....there," Kiat says as he 
  turns, then stops to stutter at the two young women. "That's not a good 
  idea--Look at him--" Kiat gestures at the bronze dragon, expecting to see 
  red whirling eyes and the general demeanor of a pissed off dragon. "Err, 
  huh. No red eyes, no hissing, no... nothing. Just Prometh being...playful?
K'tyn rounds on the pair. "What have you done to my dragon?" he grins, 
  faltering only slightly as he notes the attributes before him. "Shardit, 
  Lani, you've grown up on me. Ro--You too, though that I expected."

Hatless now, her hair falling down in a wet braid that thwops along her back, 
  'Lani dips her head a little and giggles very softly.

Ro smiles and daringly gives the bronze an affectionate scritch. She says 
  meekly "I think he likes us......and well, growing up, it just sort of 
  happened." she ends with a soft blush that does not limit itself to her 
  cheeks.

Jorenan cringes at the bellow. Hey, it's a small space we're in. He gives 
  Prometh a thoughtful look. Then, at K'tyn's words, he grins broadly. 
  Apparently he approves of Mehlani and Ro's growth. Err. Growing up. Yeah. 
  You know what he means.

"Yea, it did, didn't it? And while I wasn't looking, too?" The bronzerider 
  grins. "It's too fast. And you'll have to forgive me for acting like an old 
  uncle about this. It should not have been so big a deal." Clearly it still 
  is, though, since he focusses on faces and doesn't look down. Much.

"It's alright," Mehlani might be heard to murmur, rather pink in more places 
  than one. Not quite managing to look at either K'tyn or Jorenan, the lass 
  starts surreptitiously scooting out of the way, back towards her floating 
  hat.

Kvasith flies over the edges of rock and lands on the far end of the springs.
Kvasith has arrived.

K'tyn grins, looking after Mehlani. "It doesn't help that you wear that hat -- 
  and those billowy clothes. You could look like me under them, and no one 
  would no."

Kvasith rumbles eagerly as he lands. There is another impatient rumble as his 
  rider takes too long to get off.

Aurian slides off Kvasith after unfastening her riding straps. She lands 
  neatly on her feet this time.
Aurian has arrived.

Ro glances at Kiat, but not too closely "I don't think she could ever look 
  quite like you, sir." Her skin takes on a definate rosy tone.

Mehlani leans down to retrieve her treasured hat, and merely shyly smiles to 
  K'tyn, not really knowing what to say to that. She bobs her head at Aurian 
  and Kvasith, however.

M'hryn walks in from outside the room.
M'hryn has arrived.

Jorenan glances back towards the hat, a slow grin working its way towards his 
  face. He doesn't seem to mind looking at people a bit.

Prometh floats in the water, content to offer Kvasith a low rumble of greeting 
  before returning to somnolence. "Heya, Aurian, M'hryn," Kiat calls out 
  before answering Ro. "Well," he chuckles. "I suppose you're right."

Aurian smiles at others before she tugs off Kvasith's straps, "How is 
  everyone?" She tosses a wave to the weyrleader, "Evening sir."

M'hryn steps into the room, shivering despite the thick riding leathers he 
  wears. He eyes Aurian's wave for a moment, but doesn't say anything towards 
  her. His greeting for everybody seems to be limited to a nod, probably 
  because, the way they feel, his vocal cords are frozen.

Ro just nods and decides that a strategic retreat is in order. She waves a 
  greeting to those who have just arrived, and then turns to swim back in 
  Mehlani's direction.

Kvasith slides eagerly into the steaming water, he rumbles happily.

Where else would K'star's hat be, except on Mehlani's head? As far as Mehlani 
  is concerned, that's where it belongs, and she quietly stuffs her braid up 
  under the well-weathered brown brimmed hat, her gaze demurely lowered. Her 
  green fire lizard Rianet, however, now that the excitement of splashing 
  Prometh has dimmed down, chirrples gaily to M'hryn and Aurian and Aurian's 
  brown.

Aurian peers at M'hryn oddly before she slides out of her clothes and into the 
  water.

Jorenan takes his soapsand back, since K'tyn appears to be done with it, and 
  goes on about his bathing routine. Next on this list appears to be shaving.

Tiaryn quietly makes her way out of the pool area, a slight smile on her face, 
  one hand clutching her damp towel.
Tiaryn walks off towards the Inner Cavern.
Tiaryn has left.

Kvasith whirls an eye at the firelizard. He stretches his wings and then looks 
  to his rider who has already found the sweetsand sack.

M'hryn looks at Rianet, not noticing Aurian's odd gaze, as he slips off his 
  own clothes. Tossing them into jumbled pile well away from the pool's edge, 
  he slips into the hot water and closes his eyes, sinking down to his chin.

Finishing up his scrub, K'tyn ducks under the water to rinse. "Thanks, 
  Jorenan, for lending me some 'sand. I used my last on Prometh." He wades to 
  shore, and gets out of the water, the water rising in steaming curls of mist 
  from his body as he dries off and gets dressed. "Getting warm, M'hryn?" He 
  asks, grinning a bit.

M'hryn
M'hryn is a young man, apparently in his late teens. His hair, a dark blond in 
  color, is cut short and falls neatly from a part on the left side of his 
  head. Short bangs frame a face darkened by many hours beneath a bright, hot 
  sun, the tan and a reddish-golden beard and mustache mostly obscuring the 
  last vestiges of adolescent acne scattered about his visage. Intent, 
  grey-blue eyes bordered by long, dark lashes, are set beneath thin, blond 
  eyebrows and a high forehead, and above prominent cheekbones. Turns of 
  exercise and labor have given M'hryn broad shoulders and a strong upper 
  body, and with his long legs, he stands two inches shy of six feet tall. 
  M'hryn's tunic is a dark brown in color, stitched with Ista Sea Hold's 
  signature weave. It is airy, to allow M'hryn to stay cool in the hot Istan 
  climate. On his left shoulder, a bronze cord is intertwined with black and 
  white cords, knotted in the intricate pattern of the Weyrleader of Telgar 
  Weyr. Tucked into a pair of relatively new wherhide boots are thick, brown 
  work breeches, and rounding out the ensemble is a thick wherhide riding 
  jacket with several pockets sewn into it. On the left breast of the jacket 
  is the sigil of Ista Weyr's Belior Wing, for those who recognize it, and on 
  the left arm is the sigil of Telgar Weyr's Firestorm Wing.

Mehlani settles back down into the water, growing shyer as the group in the 
  cavern grows larger.

Aurian works the sweetsand in her hands into a lather then starts to scrub the 
  brown hide, she calls to one of her friends, "Hey 'Lani..how're things?"

"Well," says Mehlani softly, her voice nevertheless quite clear.

Jorenan nods to K'tyn. "Anytime," he says as he begins to lather his face.

Pulling his clothes on, the bronzerider laughs at his dragon. "C'mon you, get 
  out of there. We've got late duty today, and fetching ladies about is 
  something you're good at, eh?"

M'hryn opens his eyes -- he appeared on the verge of sleep -- and looks at 
  K'tyn. "Good evening, bronzerider," he says quietly.

Kvasith leans down to wuffle that odd hat of 'Lani's. He rumbles while Aurian 
  scrubs.

"It will be, aye. When I get home to my lovely weyrmate," K'tyn says with a 
  grin. "But that's not for some time, eh? Enjoy your soak."

The hat stays loyally in place, and also conveniently shields Mehlani's 
  features from the effects of dragonwhuffling. The girl does, however, peek 
  up and giggle quietly at the brown, murmuring a hello to him.

Aurian nods to K'tyn, "See you about."

Prometh leaves the water and K'tyn attaches his straps once more, and then 
  swings up.

K'tyn uses both oiled straps and an extended foreleg to mount Prometh. Once 
  settled into Prometh's bronze neckridges, K'tyn thanks Prometh politely, 
  recieving a basso rummble in return.
K'tyn has left.

Prometh rises up from the steamy waters heading north over the rim of the Weyr.
Prometh has left.

M'hryn looks after K'tyn for a moment, a wary light in his eyes as if trying 
  to find the insult in his words. Then he shakes his head and slips back down 
  in the water even further than before. If that's possible.

Mehlani then brings her earnest blue gaze around to the young Weyrleader, and 
  offers by way of tentative outreach, "Good evening..."

Jorenan gives M'hryn a nod when he arrives, but doesn't say anything. He just 
  keeps working on getting his face lathered just so. When that's done, he 
  dips his small mirror in the water to get rid of the steam, and begins the 
  laborious process of whisker removal.

Kvasith continues to wufflle at Mehlani. He's enjoying this.

Ro settles near Mehlani to simply sit and observe those around her.

Aurian raises an amused eyebrow at the weyrleader. She shakes her head and 
  goes back to the brown who is enjoying himself too much.

M'hryn looks at Mehlani and blinks at her for a moment, as if those eyes have 
  unnerved him, then smiles back at her tentatively, "Hi," he says. "I've seen 
  you about, but I don't think, uhm, I've ever really caught your name."

Eek. More whuffling. Mehlani's sober expression can't quite stay in place, not 
  with Kvasith's continued attention, but she does peek up at him again.

Mehlani then tells M'hryn solemnly, "My name is Mehlani." She doesn't say 
  'sir' -- perhaps she surmises that it might unnerve him, though if she does, 
  she doesn't say that, either.

Kvasith can't help himself as he wuffles, his nose nudging 'Lani's hat just 
  right and into the water.

M'hryn looks at you for a moment.

Mehlani gasps, as the hat is, indeed, finally nudges off. "Kvasith," she 
  murmurs in gentle scolding, reaching for her treasured headgear.

Mehlani(#4177POceq)
This young woman, probably somewhere in her latter teen Turns, stands at 5'4" 
  in height and is of a slender, sweetly curved build. Her skin is lightly 
  tanned, with a light dusting of freckles across her nose; her hair, just 
  long enough to reach her shoulders, is of a medium auburn hue. Seldom does 
  this lass speak; when she does, her voice is soft and gravely toned. But far 
  more often than not, she simply fixes her liquid blue gaze on an object or 
  person of interest, and keeps it there with an intense attention that 
  suggsts the weight of her world rides upon her drinking in every detail of 
  her surroundings through her guileless eyes.
At the moment, Mehlani appears to be clad in nothing but her ever-present 
  battered brown hat, her hair tucked up underneath it, little tendrils of 
  auburn escaping from under its brim. The rest of her slender, curved young 
  form is wet.

M'hryn's eyes shift towards the brown hat and he smiles slightly, waiting for 
  her to retrieve the thing before he replies. His eyes go to Aurian once, 
  then around at the rest of the people here.

Kvasith looks appropriately chagrinned but he just nudges 'Lani then sticks 
  his head under water.

Jorenan is entirely absorbed in shaving. Which is exactly as it should be. 
  Those blades are sharp. Don't want him bleeding all over the place, after 
  all. He might get the attention of the girls away from the Weyrleader that 
  way, after all.

Aurian glances back at the weyrleader as she thought maybe he looked towards 
  her, but since his attention is else where she glances back to Kvasith still 
  much needed to be washed hide.

Mehlani is nudged, duly, and then peers up more closely at the young brown. 
  Gracious, but that's an awful lot of nudging Kvasith is engaged in. She 
  considers, then coots over closer to the dragon's head, lifting her dainty 
  fingers to scritch his hide. Is that better?

Kvasith tilts his head happily. Multiple hands on him, what joy.

Mehlani calls over softly to Aurian, "Do you need help with him?" Her hands 
  keep up her self-appointed task, long familiar with finding out the delicate 
  places on a dragon's muzzle, given the number of dragons she's prone to 
  scritch.

M'hryn shakes his head again, all though at Jorenan or Mehlani or Kvasith, 
  it's not certain, but his smile, still slight, is amused. He shuts his eyes 
  again and leans his head against the ledge of the pool, face towards the 
  roof of the cavern.

A single droplet of water falls from the wingtip of a bathing firelizard. The 
  sound echoes in the sudden stillness.

Aurian grins from where she is on his back haunch, "If you want to Lani.. it 
  would be much appreciated." She grins.

Mehlani returns her hat to its proper place, and silently arises from her 
  place in the pool, moving to seek out a brush with which to approach 
  Kvasith's hide. "I'll be right back," she promises to him in a placid murmur.

M'hryn's eyes open once again and his head turns to follow Mehlani's progress 
  curiously, as if trying to see who it was who was going and what she's 
  getting, then he shakes his head, at himself this time, once and closes his 
  eyes again.

Aurian stretches before starting on Kvasith's tail, "I'm always amazed at how 
  long it takes to scrub him when I can remember it taking minutes."

Jorenan's eyes narrow as he squints at his reflection. Or perhaps there's 
  something else that he noted that caused him to frown. It's hard to say. But 
  his eyes flicker towards Mehlani, and then towards the Weyrleader.

A brush is fetched, and Mehlani, a figure of water-touched ivory and auburn 
  against Kvasith's dark hide, wades to the brown's nearest flank. Her 
  delicate features settled into a quiet contentment, she begins the task at 
  hand, scrutnizing the dragon with almost as much care as if she were his 
  rider. She flicks Aurian a light-eyed glance of sympathetic regard, though 
  she says nothing in reply. Mehlani's green, in the meantime, wings over to 
  hover in Kvasith's near vicinity, wondering if the bigcousin wants his back 
  scrubbed.

M'hryn looks at Kvasith. "He's big," he says softly, then sighs and rises to 
  his feet, climbing out of the pool. Quickly toweling himself off, he makes 
  some excuse. Something to do with having a drill to oversee, then quickly 
  dresses and walks out.
M'hryn walks off towards the Inner Cavern.
M'hryn has left.

Aurian waves as M'hryn goes, she then continues on Kvasith.

Kvasith rumbles welcomingly to the little green, his back would love a good 
  firelizard scrubbing.

Nathan walks in from outside the room.
Nathan has arrived.

Aurian scrubs a bit harder on Kvasith, she pauses to add more sweetsand to her 
  efforts.

Mehlani, too, keeps up with the work of Kvasith-washing; eventually, she 
  begins to hum, very softly, the sound not carrying far but audible 
  nonetheless. Between her and her little green companion, slowly but surely, 
  more and more of the brown dragon's hide begins to gleam.

Nathan looks around and chuckles, carrying a bundle of something or another. 
  "Well met Aurian, and everyone else."

Kvasith is rumbling contentedly.

Nathan(#12513PVce)
        At around six feet tall with broad shoulders he cuts a striking 
  figure. Long black hair is streaked with gold, as if a touch of sun was able 
  to defeat the midnight color of his hair. Feathered back away from his face 
  it is further controlled by a leather tie at the nape of his neck pulling it 
  into a runner-tail. Hanging well down his back nearly to his waist it's easy 
  to see how wild his hair would be if it wasn't tied back like it is. His 
  face is well defined, black eyebrows arching high over almond shaped grass 
  green eyes, high cheekbones, sharp nose, full lips, all encased by a 
  slightly squared jaw. His skin is slightly tanned, used to seeing the sun 
  but not so browned to look like he visits beaches often. In his left ear is 
  a pair of silver hoops piercing the lobe. He looks a little older than 16 
  turns. 
        It's easy to notice the cut of his build in his current outfit, some 
  would call it impressive, or elegant, but it merely is, to him, he doesn't 
  even seem to notice. He wears a long heavy tunic, a dark blue in color, 
  useful for working in the cold weather it is thick but still somewhat open, 
  dipping low around his neck, displaying some of his well muscled chest. The 
  sleeves extend only down to his elbows, leaving his forearms bare to show 
  the slight down of black hair upon them. It's cinched tight to his narrowing 
  waist, accenting the triangular shape to his frame with a thin cord of black 
  rope. On his legs is a pair of tight black riding leathers, shaping to his 
  muscular thighs and rear. Heavy wherhide riding boots cover his feet up to 
  his knees, the tufts of white fut over the dark green dye clearly attesting 
  to their warmth. It's clear he has been working, a light sheen of sweat on 
  his chest and arms from his exertions.

Nathan looks at you for a moment.

Aurian blinks as she hears her name called she glances back, "Oh um hi 
  Nathan." She grins a little.

Jorenan glances over at Nathan, though he doesn't really move his head. He's 
  nearly done shaving; no reason to blow it with a cut now. He gives Nathan a 
  bit of a grin, though.

Ro blinks up at Nathan, no recognition in her eyes "Um, hello."

The unclad, quiet-eyed girl with the battered brown hat atop her head peeks 
  gravely around Kvasith's head at the sound of a stranger's voice. "Duties," 
  she says very softly, before resuming her task.

Ro sinks into the water up to her chin.

Nathan pauses, "Umm, sorry for interrupting, I can go, I should go." he turns 
  and starts back into the caverns proper.

Aurian scrubs more, "You aren't interrupting anything." She shakes her head 
  vaguely amused.

"It is a public spring, sir," observes Mehlani, a little more loudly, her tone 
  peaceful. Her attention is occupied with the scrubbing of the dragon, 
  though, nevertheless. Or at least most of it.

Ro's mild embarassment doesn't seem to keep her from watching the young man's 
  retreat, if only covertly.

Nathan looks over at Mehlani, smiles, "True, it is, but," he shrugs, "I'd 
  rather not intrude on people who don't know me, might not be comfortable 
  with my being here."

"It's alright," says the behatted girl, very softly. But she does, at least 
  when Kvasith's head is in the way, sneak over to retrieve the robe she had 
  waiting at the edge of the pool.

Ro says suddenly, spectulatively "How is anyone supposed to get to know you if 
  you aren't around long enough for them to?"

Nathan smiles softly, "So it may be, for you, but," a quick tip of his head 
  towards Ro and a smile. His attention turns back to Kvasith and his eyes 
  shine, "He is truly fine Aurian, perhaps next time I'll feel comfortable 
  enough to help."

Kvasith whirls his eyes at the young man as his rider speaks, "Why not help 
  now?"

Jorenan finally finishes shaving. He's left clean and smoove, not a nick on 
  him. He rinses off his face and puts away soap, razor, and mirror. When he 
  turns back, he notes that Mehlani's gone for her robe, and looks mildly 
  disappointed. "Leaving so soon?" he asks quietly.

Nathan smiles, "Alright." he turns and walks back for the springs, setting his 
  bundle down and taking off his clothes without a hint of modesty.

"I'm not leaving," Mehlani says gravely to Jorenan, as she slips on the short 
  robe and wades back over to Kvasith, retrieving her brush as well.

Nathan slips into the water, grabbing a hald of sweetsand to help him in his 
  endeavors. He approaches Kvasith's flank and somewhat awed, reaches up to 
  start scrubbing, to timidly to do anything really.

Aurian murmurs as she scrubs, "He would like you to press a little harder."

Jorenan watches Mehlani's robe stick to her form for a moment, and then 
  swallows. "Oh," he comments. He turns away and goes back to carefully 
  putting away his shaving things. It would take little observational power to 
  note that he already did that.

Mehlani appears to be tongue-tied, but her green fire lizard has no such 
  reservations. Rianet warbles conversationally to the stranger as Nathan 
  draws near, frolicking back and forth atop Kvasith's brown back, spreading 
  loose granules of sand all over the place.

Nathan smiles up at the firelizard, then blushes a little, "Sorry Kvasith." he 
  whispers then starts rubbing the sand over the dragons hide harder, putting 
  his back and arms into it.
Nathan says conversationally, "Well then, everyone I'm Nathan, originally from 
  White Rocks Hold in the High Reaches."

Jorenan nods to Nathan. "Well met," he says. "Jorenan, Assistant Weyrbaker. Do 
  you live here now?"

Nathan nods, towards Jorenen, "M'hryn gave me a spare cot in the Residents 
  Cavern until we know what I'll be doing. For now I've just been helping out 
  where I can." he scrubs over Kvasith's side, smiling as he feels the 
  dragonskin.

Jorenan nods. "It's as good a way to start off as any," he says agreeably. 
  "White Rocks Hold, you said? I've never been htere."

Ro says softly "I'm Rosarrah, originally from here."

Nathan smiles at Ro and Jorenen, "Nice to meet you both, White Rocks is very 
  small, I'm not surprised."

Mehlani just listens to the conversation, occasionally peeking round at the 
  others, occasionally smiling timidly... and more than once, stealing glances 
  at the young Journeyman Baker. Robe-garbed and hat-clad, she works her way 
  along Kvasith's flank, and ducks lower to attend to his wing, as well.

Nathan continues scrubbing the dragon until a good section of flank, 
  everywhere in arms reach is clean. He looks over at Mehlani, "And you are?" 
  he smiles.

"Mehlani," says the girl in the robe and the hat, in that soft low voice of 
  hers.

Nathan smiles at Mehlani, "Are you originally from here as well?"

"I am from Benden Weyr..." begins Mehlani softly. As she speaks, Rianet on 
  Kvasith's back suddenly lifts her head, eyes taking on a tinge of yellow, 
  and with a startled chirr she abruptly vanishes *between*. Only then does 
  Mehlani glance round, blinking as she concludes, ".... but I have lived here 
  for three Turns...."
Mehlani trails off, a frown creasing her delicate features, then slowly taking 
  on the tinge of alarm. "Oh dear," she murmurs cryptically, abruptly turning 
  away from Kvasith, giving the dragon an apologetic glance as she hastens to 
  the side of the pool.
Mehlani drops her brush, and bends quickly to scoop up her clothing, turning 
  then to regard the others with anxious blue eyes. "Arki," is all she says, 
  but whatever this means is apparently enough to bestir the girl to swift 
  action. "Please, please excuse me..."

Nathan blinks as Mehlani takes off. He looks over at the brown, "Well, looks 
  like I get to clean this side all by myself." he grins and gets some more 
  sand and starts scrubbing again.

Jorenan winces. "Don't let her kill anyone!" he calls after Mehlani. 
  Apparently he knows who Arki is.

Mehlani scurries off, casting a brief glance over her shoulder -- a glance 
  that, despite its brevity, lands and lingers intently upon the figure of 
  Jorenan. And with that, then, white feet flying, Mehlani has vanished off 
  into the Weyr.

[End log.]