Eastern Weyr - Hot Springs Cavern - Side Cavern
Steam quietly creeps along the floor of this smaller chamber, the heat radiating from the great pools nearly stifling. This more human scaled bathing area, practically a miniature of the immense dragon pools that one passes to reach this area. Perhaps fit eight or nine people could comfortably fit within this area. Stone benches have been carved around the pool, providing sitting area for those wishing to just relax in the hot water. Several secluded 'changing areas' are along the one wall, nothing more than niches really, for those too modest to change within the public eye. Buckets of soap sand reside near the entryway below a towel rack. Heavily covered lamps are bolted into the stone walls, providing dim atmospheric lighting for the cavern.
Athena is seated on the edge of one of the pools as she washes herself. She doesn't fully immerse due to healer's warning about too much heat and all.
One needs to keep an eye on a greenrider with a proddy dragon. Particularly one whom is carrying your children. And so, L'ton is once again checking in on Athena, having gotten insight from her green as to her location. "Hey sweets.." He offers as he skirts the outer edge of the pool.
Athena smiles as she sees L'ton and pats the edge of the pool beside her. "I was just getting cleaned up, would you like to join?" She says softly.
"How could Ah turn down an opportunity ta sit with ya?" He smiles, stripping off his clothes to settle down near her, sliding in to settle down on the bench so he's more fully immersed. "How's my favorite holder daughter?"
Athena looks towards L'ton as she says quietly. "Still in love with her favorite Weyrsecond." She smiles as she leans over to kiss him. "Feeling ok today the healers gave me some tea that should help me a little."
"That's great news.. Ah'd hate ta have ya sick all the time.." Standing up a bit, L'ton is resting his hands on her thighs as he leans to kiss her with a grin. "Though, if'n some other guy catches yer green, Ah think ya should be sick on 'em and blame the babies."
Athena gives a bit of a laugh as she looks towards L'ton. "Possessive of me now are you? I can't remember you being half as possessive of me back when I was pregnant with Zalena or even during times around flights." She smirks. "Not wanting to lose me to anyone now?"
"Ya didn't give me a fair shot now, with Zal.. Ya were all quiet and embarrassed.. It seemed like ya didn't want some bronzerider hanging. But, now Ah know that that's not the case.." He smirks right back, leaning to give her another lingering kiss. "Besides, Ah know more guys who'd just use ya and toss ya aside after the flight, not caring that yer pregnant now."
Athena nods quietly as she glances towards L'ton. "I know dear but I was nervous back then… with Eledath's first flight and all that stuff."
L'ton gently rests his on her shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze, leaning to pull her into an awkward hug. "Well, its different now, and ya dun need ta be afraid, right?" He grins, pinching her cheek a bit.
Athena smiles a little as he pinches her cheek. "Yes I know love." She says ever so softly as she lets herself be hugged close to him.
"Just wish that girl of yours would get her butt up in the air, though, so Ah dun have to keep Dhonzayth from wandering off. Ah couldn't forgive mahself if she did go up and he was sleeping or something." Gently curling his fingers in her hair, he gives her another kiss.
Athena sighs softly as she looks towards L'ton. "She never gives warning of when she's going to rise, you should know that, for her rising to mate is an aweful thing." She kisses him back. "I wish she was more predicatable but never even waits to see if it's someone that is compatible for me whose dragon she lets catch her. You were lucky that once."
Athena is settled at the edge of the pool, partially submerged, whereas L'ton is standing in front of her, water coming to mid chest as they converse, his hands reaching for hers and giving them a gentle squeeze. "Ah know she dun but.." Pausing, he chews on his lip. "Ah wonderful if he could scare her up."
Athena gives a bit of a laugh. "Even if he could… doesn't mean she'll let him catch her. Sometimes she'll let the same one catch her… other times she turns on the one she had favored before and replaces him." She sighs. "Glad I'm not as finnicky as that."
Zorya slips into the cavern relatively quietly. Well, quiet until the candidate bumps the edge of one of the benches, upsetting, but thankfully not knocking over, one of the randomly dispersed buckets of soaps. Its the sound of voices that does it, one voice in particular, causing the girl to turn towards the pool with less thought than she might otherwise have had. She doesn't, however, say anything just yet rather just looking across the dimly lit room to see just who's beat her here.
"Well, she'll just have ta give over that now, won't she?" L'ton teases, leaning for another kiss before there's an almost crash and L'ton is stepping backwards hurriedly, eyes scanning the shadows for the source. "Hey there?" He offers, giving Athena's hands a squeeze before stepping sideways to meander along the edge of the pool to see the source of the noise, even as he raises a hand to Athena. "Stay.." He murmurs softly.
Athena nods as she replies to L'ton. "Alright… guess on both accounts."
Zorya sets a hand to the bucket to make sure it's solidly on the bench before she takes a few steps forward. "Sorry," the girl offers, blue eyed gaze directed much more at her feet than who she might be sharing the room with. "Ah jus' … startled." Yes, that's it. Sandals are idly slide from her feet and tucked neatly beneath the nearest bench.
L'ton hesitates for a moment, blinking at the accent, before shaking his head and heading back to join Athena, resting his hand lightly on the greenrider's knee. "Zorya?" He ventures from there, with another sigh. "Ya okay, lil'bit?" He questions, still watching the form near the bench.
Athena has no real clue who Zorya is but apparently L'ton does and she simply listens to see what is going on.
"Yes sir.." Zorya starts to reply, even as she moves to continue readying for bath she'd originally come for, and quickly wrapping a towel about her. Its at the next question that it truly settles with the girl that yes, the voice she thought she heard is the one she heard. "L'ton?" she blinks back towards the pool. Okay, so that didn't really answer the question, but…
"Maybe." L'ton replies with amusement, giving Athena's shoulder a squeeze. "Tis mah niece. She's standing here.." He explains to the the greenrider, even as he splashes the water next to Athena, as if the girl should come join them.
"What.." Zorya begins the question, but doesn't finish Its L'ton and he's with a woman. Its probably best to just leave it at that. "Ah kin.." but that thought too goes unfinished as she steps towards the pool at his prompting and soon enough slips into the water to settle across from the pair on a bench within the pool.
Athena looks between L'ton and over towards the young woman. She smiles towards L'ton as she hears that the girl is his neice, but never the less awkward at first to think that well she is well… undressed now around this girl's uncle in front of her. She does have a smile on her face as she sees the girl come over.
"So, ya okay?" He questions Zorya as she joins them in the water, turning to lean against the edge of the pool between the two women, looking back and forth from one to the other. "Thought someone was gonna try and steal my clothes or something." He teases, patting Athena's knee. "Oh, Zorya.. THis is Athena.. She's a friend of mine."
Athena hears L'ton's words as her knee gets patted and tries to not show a reaction to being called just a friend. She smiles simply to Zorya with a polite nod. "It's nice to meet you Zorya. I hear a lot about L'ton's family and all. Makes me miss sometimes my own family and the distance between them and I."
Zorya sighs softly to herself as the warm waters envelope her. "Ah'd never think a doin'.." Well not here at least, back home that might have been a different story. The comment is quickly left behind as the green rider is introduced however. "Well met, Athena," the girl replies with a friendly smile, yet again avoiding the question at hand. "Ah miss mine sometimes too." she offers for the woman. "Eastern's na sa very close ta Ista." Which begs the question, what is L'ton doing here? for which her uncle earns a glance.
L'ton squeezes Athena's knee gently, glancing over his shoulder at her, giving her a smile, apparently missing her moment of hesitation. "Well, Zorya, ya dun have ta worry. Soon 'nuff them eggs'll hatch, and Ah'll be able ta take ya back ta Ista with meh. Ya can come back with us normal people." You know, since the Shiptons are so normal and all. Waggling a finger at Zorya, he chuckles. "Ah, but its only a quick jump *between*. And sometimes ya need a change of scenery."
Zorya offers up a smile and a bit of a laugh for L'ton. Yes, so very normal. But then, what is normal anyway? "Ah hope so." she replies, "D'son said he'd take meh home after…. Ya know if Ah dun .. impress." The last tacked on much as an afterthought, the last pause's purpose is unclear - whether she's looking for the word or just uncertain of saying it. Though from the sound of it she's none to certain about the whole thing.
"Well, Ah dun mind taking ya back ta Ista, either. Ah mean, Ah'm gonna be here anyway. And Ah'll have Zip. Ah'd bring Mai, but she ain't been feeling so well, and she won't be able ta between ta soon. Though, Ah bet Niah'd come." He tacks on, giving Athena's shoulder a rather friendly squeeze as the woman goes back to bathing while the uncle talks with his niece. "Them dragons ain't good 'nuff fer ya anyway. That gold's crazy." Slashed Dhon all to heck.
Zorya nods slowly. "Ah'm glad ya'll be here." she smiles, though a hint of tension may be present in the expression. "Ah dunno iffen Ah'd go so far ta say that." she notes in the gold's defense. Beat. Yes, she would. "She's got us takin carea wherry eggs cause somea the others were saying somethin bout candidacy bein ta easy…"
"Just make sure that woman dun find out, no way, no how, that yer related ta me. She has it out fer me, and Ah dun want her to have it out fer ya ta." He offers, reaching to ruffle Zorya's hair. "Well, either way, we can't wait ta have ya back at Ista. We gotta keep ya fer our own Searchriders."
Zorya ohs. "She.." the girl beings to question, shrugging lightly and brushing the comment aside. She'll just leave it at that and not dig for further explanation. There's a subtle roll of her eyes as he ruffles her hair before she does ask a question. "What if Ah dun wanna go back ta Ista…?" she inquires with a touch of hesitation. This is theoretically speaking of course!
"Well, Ah guess if'n ya'd rather go back ta the Hall, we could take ya there ta. But, Ah'm sure Ah could get them ta change yer posting to the Weyr." Leaning back against the pool, he glances sidelong at Athena, and then back at Zorya. "Ah mean, were else could ya possibly wanna go?"
… There's a moment of silence as Zorya simply blinks in her uncle's direction. Indeed. "..Ah haven't decided fur sure yet." she replies. Hall or Ista. Elsewhere? Of course not. Though she does seem to be tiptoeing around the subject just a tad. "Figure Ah should wait til after jus in case."
L'ton stares back at Zorya, narrowing his gaze. He's learned the tricks of teenage girls. "Where were ya thinking of going, Zorya.." He questions more sternly this time, briefly checking on Athena, though now he's distracted from his earlier distraction. "Well, ya dun wanna have ta make some split decision then.."
Athena is busy bathing quietly, she has tuned out most of the conversation between L'ton and his niece as she doesn't feel it's any of her business. She mutters a little as she looks over towards L'ton. "I'm going to have to excuse myself… I'll be back…" Apparently morning sickness doesn't choose always morning to deal with things. She doesn't fully say why she's leaving but it's apparent from her face she's not feeling well. She gets out of the pools, trying to get a towel as quick as she can and heads out to an outer area likely to get away from the heat too.
"Ah ain't goin nowhere righ now." Zorya replies, sinking just that little bit further in to the water as her gaze shifts to somewhere in the middle of the pool. "It.." And then there's the perfect distraction as Athena leaves and the girl lifts a hand from the water to give a bit of a wave. "Ah hope ya feel better." she offers towards the woman, eyes settling back at the center of the pool once she's gone.
L'ton stares after Athena, blinking a few times. "Athena, sweets.." He offers, but then she's taking off anyway. And it is a distraction from Zorya, though it seems that there's even more of a distraction. "Shards, Zorya.. Ah.. Ah gotta go. Ya dun think Ah ain't gonna take ya ta the Hall or ta Ista, though, after the Hatching. Yer mah niece, its mah right." Of course, he means it in a good way. Reaching to pat her shoulder again, he shakes his head. "Ya.. should avoid her. Her dragon…" And he fails to explain further as he's clamoring out of the pool for his clothes, rushing after Athena.
Zorya nods slowly. "Yes sir." the girl replies a bit sullenly, and then again "Yes sir." to the note about the junior weyrwoman and her gold. "Ah'll see ya later then..?" Its half a question as he's on his way out. Maybe he'll stop and see her before he's back to Ista. Who knows.
"Course, sweets. Ah dun think this'll take ta long. Just gotta make sure it ain't…" And then he's not sure who it better not be, scooping up Athena's clothes and waggling fingers at Zorya before he's darting out.