Quiet Corners
Thick woolen tapestries dull the noise from the rest of the caverns, turning this well-lit little room into a welcome escape. The stairs up place it against the bowl wall somewhere above the living caverns, carpeted against the winters chill or left as cool stone floor in summer. Some high and narrow windows can be opened to the world outside, or secured with their heavy metal-sided shutters and blue-threaded curtains.
Glowlight gleams, brightening the well-cushioned stone couches and lighting the weyr residents half-finished projects: knitting undone, sewing only started, leathers being worked soft, and even a hide of sketches or half-finished Thread-chart spread out across one of the tables.
On the perch is Kalfu.
You notice Siannen and Niall asleep here.
Kariel is here.

Kariel is perched... rather undignified, admittedly... in the giant pile of pillows over in the corner. Flop. And is, at last, reading his book, little spectacles perched on the tip of his nose as he digests information rather tediously. this is why he doesn't study much anymore. Now he remembers.

Lis slips in from the little door.

Reiko slips in from the hallway, laden with a tray of food and a skin of wine, which she deposits with a thump and a smirk in front of Kariel. "I thought /assisting/ was limited to the infirmary," she remarks, maybe just a bit caustically. Aren't there drudges, after all? A second skin is kept for herself, and she flumps into a comfy looking couch with an indolent stretch. Kare gets a break, she's taking one too. Simple as that. Studying, her left eye.

Niall wakes up.

Eek! Someone let the herdbeasts out... Naw, that's just Lis in her furry coat, a very human-looking face peeking out from that fluffy collar. Sneaking in here's a lot different from the cafeteria-style -- or frat house, depending on the occasion -- of the living caverns, decidedly the best place for a lounge Lis-ard to relax. And, oh, look: it's Reiko and Kare and Niall, oh my! Waves aplenty and for all, from the greenrider.

Niall falls asleep.

"Nyet. I was going to thank you, but since you made that remark..." No cookies for you. Book of pediatric nonsense is set aside as he tries find a more dignified way to sit in his pile o' pillows. This is ridiculous. Mmph. No support, no dignity, no way to sit in it correctly... yet... so fluffy. The irony. Plate is set in his lap as he refills his long empty glass from the wineskin, grinning at reiko. "And don't forget, you bought that skin with my money." So you get yours and he gets his. All fair trade, no? Lis is cast a grin before the Weyrhealer begins to eat his dinner ever so neatly.

Reiko rolls her eyes expressively. "You're /so/ welcome." Now was that a touch of sarcasm? She fills a glass of her own, ignoring the comment about the origin of the wine, and turns her attention to Lis. "Morning." Nevermind she just got Kariel dinner. "How're you?"

"It's not morning." Lis is confused, and it shows in her words. She lets it slide, though, and drapes her fur over arm before taking a chair near the pair of Healerites -- better company than some of the more nameless and faceless weyrfolk that rest in secluded corners. "I'm doing alright. Nothing irregular besides fatigue." She still can't stifle the reflext to be businesslike about Healers.

Kariel snerks a little... most unbusinesslike. As usual. He's not on duty - don't treat him as such. "Then sleep?" he suggests innocently enough, popping a forkful of herdbeast and rice into his mouth.

Reiko shrugs lightly, as usual not really caring what the actual time of day is. Don't make her think about it. And even though she's not, strictly speaking, a Healer, she's apparently got a bit more sympathy for Lis than her superior does. She shoots Kariel a withering glare before nodding Liswards in a rather bemused manner. Lis is... oh yeah. Pregnant. "Must be awful," she remarks, a long sip of wine later. Reiko knows from fatigue. Or is that boredom?

"What do you think I've been doing all day?" Lis asks Kariel in exhasperation, deciding to fudge the truth that she spent most of the day in bed, sleeping or... otherwise. "Aw, it's not so bad the third time around," she reassures Reiko, eyeing the Weyrhealer's herdbeast. "You gonna eat all of that?"

"Yes. Yes I am. Buy Reiko wine and I'm sure she'll get you some too." Flutter. Kare's so... nice. when one deals with pregnant women almost all day... and bratlets and old aunties the rest... you have little sympathy. Even if he does love Lis. "I haven't eaten since breakfast." The day shift. Gotta... despise it. Yeah.

Reiko might be persuaded. But not before the skin she's drinking from is actually empty. So Kariel gets a Look, emerald gaze narrowed. "Nice," she murmurs dryly, slouching deeper into her seat and refilling her glass. Third? She eyes Lis now, but eventually she does remember having seen Lis and her brood in the caverns, so she only nods. "That's about three more times than I can imagine," she remarks mildly.

Lis has no business stealing meat from skinny little boys - men - who don't eat all day, then, drawing her hand back and placing it in her lap. "Well, nevermind, then," she mumbles. Another side effect of pregnancy: near-constant, if not voracious hunger. Reiko is offered a mere shrug as she admits, "I think I like it, somehow. Else I wouldn't keep forgetting my green stuff, accidentally or on purpose."

Kariel continues to work at his meal, cutting and chewing and everything like that. "I need to keep a seperate calendar for Lis and slip it into her creampuffs. Note to self." Odd mood? mayhaps. But odd is better than flatout moody, so everyone ought be happy.

Reiko arches an eyebrow at Lis' comment. "/Like/ it?" Now that's a strong word, to Reiko's way of thinking. Her brow furrows lightly as she considers the idea, then she shakes her head. "Messy," she finally states, definitively. Kariel's Odd Mood is noted. Actually, it's an improvement over the giggling fit he was deep in the throes of, the last time Reiko saw him, so she won't complain. Much.

Kinecha slips in from the little door.

Kinecha brushes snow off the shoulders of her jacket as she comes in from the Bowl, making her way to sit in a large chair, getting herself comfortable before she notices that there are actually people here. "Oh..."

"Some day I'll have triplets, Kariel. And I'll make sure you deliver them," replies the greenrider flippantly to the Weyrhealer, surpressing a giggle at Reiko only by biting her lip. "It grows on you, it does." Really. Kinecha recieves a brief wave of her fingers. Hello!

Kariel groans at that, face one definately of horror at the mere inkling of such a calamity. "If you ever have triplets... mmph. I just might have to resign." Way too many Lis spawns for one planet to hold. Wine is sipped and Kinecha nodded to idly, before he proceeds to refill his goblet. More wine. More food. Kare? A bit ravenous? Nah?

Reiko snorts lightly, an amused smirk curling the corners of her lips as she envisions Kariel delivering triplets for Lis... even as she quietly considers all sorts of ways to ensure that this little miracle doesn't happen on /her/ shift. She's distracted, however, by the fingerwaggle, which leads her eyes to the entering Kinecha. "Morning," she greets flatly. She remembers now. Mostly. But wait, is Kariel resigning? Inwardly cursing her inattentiveness, she swings her head around to eye the Healer... but all he's doing is eating. Lots and lots of eating. Hm.

"Afternoon," Kinecha automatically corrects Reiko, her voice cool and unemotional, as she glances briefly at the infirmary assistant, then turns her eyes away from her. "So what's going on here," she asks of the others.

Lis grins wickedly as she lets out a sweet statement of, "Gee, maybe I should go without the green stuff for a whole /month/ instead of just a few days. I wonder if that'd help?" If she distracts Kariel enough, perhaps she can steal his food. Muahah. Ha.

Kariel shrugs and gestures his tuber-laden fork at her as he speaks rather sweetly, "You're already knocked up. Damage is done." So a day or a month doesn't really matter, now does it? Tubers are then scooped into his mouth, Kare leaning back against his pile of pillowness a bit and simply commenting, "Mmm. Delish."

Reiko ignores Kinecha and sips her wine, lounging indolently on her couch. The smirk returns, widening as Lis plots. "Why stop there, Lis?" she teases, emerald eyes glittering. "There are plenty of nannies in the lower caverns." And thank Faranth she's not one of them; if Lis takes her own advice the Weyr will be up to its collective ears in Lis-spawn. The smirk doesn't even fade as she turns her gaze to Kariel. "Don't be so smug, dear. I'm sure she means next time." And a bit more wine.

Green stuff, knocked up? Lis pregnant? Was that it? Kinecha allows a tiny grin to cross her lips as she eyes the rider, shaking her head. Nope, the guard was /never/ having kids. Too much of a bother, even if there was the possibility of handing them off to the nannies.

"/Exactly/. Stupid." The former is to Reiko and the latter to Kariel, presumably. Lis rides on the excuse of her hormones being up for the insult to the Healer boy; not her fault she still thinks of him as sixteen and randier than Kamikaze wing. At any rate, the cat's out of the bag, since the rider's predicament seems to be noticed.

A large improvement: he's 20 and only has phases of Kamikaze-ness. "Mm. Yes. Horribly stupid. But well fed." Kare replies with a simply wicked grin, taking another scoop of mashed tubers and slowly licking it off the fork. Oh, Faranth. Here he goes.

Reiko stretches indolently in her seat, crossing one long leg over the other and refilling her glass. Again. It's so much fun to watch Lis and Kariel torment each other. Reiko couldn't possibly compete with so much history, but Kare's next comment inspires her to try. Arching one delicate brow, she eyes him appraisingly. "Nice.... technique." Sarcasm? Or appreciation? Have some more wine and decide later.

Kinecha just... Sits there. Not willing to say anything, drink anything or eat. Not even willing to get up and leave, so she just sits back, with a tiny smile on her lips watching the interaction of the othes.

Lis darts a hand out, attempting to get a finger into his mashed tubers and scoop some back for herself. Childish is as childish does. "He's always been a pain in the... erf," grunts the greenrider, reaching across the table.

Kariel swats at her hand, nose crinkling heavily as he leans away from her and further into his mound of cushions on the floor. "Nuh-uh-uh." he insists, fluttering his eyelashes rather excessively before scooping more mashed tubers onto his fork and giving them the lollipop treatment. "Shameful, Lis... stealing food from a starving young lad... who's done /so/ much for you..." And he's not just talking about delivering babies, here.

Reiko fills her glass yet again, watching Kariel and Lis. She's more or less forgotten that Kinecha came in, since the guard has fallen so silent. Definitely an improvement over their last meeting. But Kariel's ranting cannot be ignored. "Starving, my eye," she drawls, shifting to a more comfortable position. "Shame on you, Kariel. She's eating for two. Or /trying/ to." She eyes him again, emerald gaze resting just a bit longer than what would strictly speaking be considered polite. Blame the wine?

"If you're so starving, you wouldn't be licking off those tubers like you were having an affair with the fork," Lis replies rather less than civilly to Kariel, looking like she's got half a mind to tackle him for the food alone. "And not in the past few Turns you haven't!" she adds, in regards to past favors. Reiko is nominated her new best friend, decidedly, and she pouts at Kariel. Lookit that /face/.

"Getting warm," Necha mumbles, pulling off her jacket letting it fall to the floor as her eyes dart from Kariel to Lis, doing her best to ignore Reiko as she leans back in the chair, stretching her legs out in front of her. Hard to ignore someone who's practically sitting right in front of you, so the guard's eyes /does/ fall on the infirmary assistant every now and then.

Kariel rolls his eyes, glancing to Reiko and eating the last bit of the tubers off of his fork. "If you feel so horribly inclined to pity her, why not go get her a plateful, eh? This is mine." Territory is marked, dinner claimed, and a large hunk of herdbeast shoved into his mouth... and attempted to be chewed. "Thee!" he exclaims, pointing to his mouth amidst chewing. His food.

Reiko snorts, abruptly deciding she's had enough wine and enough Kariel for one morning off. Whatever time of day it actually is. Getting to her feet without a trace of wobbling, despite the quantity of wine missing from that skin in her hand, she saunters over to Kariel and drops the still-half-full skin into his lap. "Maybe this will make you feel a little more civil," she hisses, before turning her back on him. "Sorry, Lis," she murmurs. 'Rider will have to get her own food, Reiko's not coming back. With a toss of her head, she turns on her heel and stalks off toward the exit.

Lis grumbles as her possible source of food leaves - all those stairs to walk down is more than she can bear - and so she hefts her slowly growing self out of her seat into the edge of Kariel's pillowpile. "Aw, come on. At least let me lick the plate!" Chances are food in the boy's mouth isn't exactly safe, either.