Scintillating Aurorean Sublimation {open}

[Lothyna]

Who: Mikovren, U'ar, any who wish to join
What: Escaping the tedium of day to day life, gathering supplies
When: Early Morning
Where: In a side cavern
Warnings: Bored Miko, None


With winter now fully set even-and what a shock it was, to have a mild one, even after a year here, instead of the cold of the Hall, Mikovren was growing bored. Not that this was an unusual occurrence, not by a long shot, but it wasn’t even the best time to gather the plants and items he’d normally fill free time with, since most needed the winter to recover. No, there was nothing really to tempt him-and S’lain was away, so no fun there. And he’d been over every foot of the Weyr’s grounds so far in his time here. Nothing left to explore in that area.

Of course, this had no bearing on the fact that he had slipped off, alone, to explore. Nope, none at all. Standing just outside the entrance to the crystal caves, the young man arched an eyebrow, and finished tucking his hair back into a tightly woven braid, which held a few… surprises, should he need them. The pack at his feet was sturdy, if patched, repaired neatly with small, fine stitches, and seemed both empty and bulging at once. Side pouches (and some of those tied at the waist of the journeyman) were empty, while the main part was full of tools and supplies.

Retrieving a torch and fire-starter, Mikovren glanced again into the caves, then grinned, and hoisted his pack even as he moved forward. Smooth, gently steps, akin to dancing, carried him noiselessly into the anterior cavern, firelight flickering off the luminous crystals embedded within the rock. The sheer amount, type, and frequency made a joyous smile, quickly tucked away, pass over the dragon healers face, as he shifted ever deeper into the system of caves.

Here and there, Miko would stoop briefly to add pieces of the crystals that littered the floor to his bag, and had one pouch which he added any fungus, mosses, or lichens he found to examine later. The sound of lapping water, dripping with a crystalline ring, led him deeper fairly quickly despite his gathering. As he descended, the initial sand gave way to stone, leaving no trace of his passage save the flickering light. A side corridor caught his attention, as the fire flickered off of crystals that he had hoped to find.

Inside the room, after ascertaining that there were no threats, Mikovren dropped his pack with care to the tools inside, and brought out glows to work with before dousing his torch. Light set, and examining the rods of crystal jutting from walls, floor and ceiling, he quickly got to work harvesting them in variant shapes and sizes, packing each neatly in a sash in his pack as he did so. This was what he’d come here for-an escape, and the things he loved to work with in his spare time. A soft song of leaders past echoed from his lips as he worked, utterly lost in the play of light on the gems.

He was certain that this was once a flow for lava from the now dormant volcano, what with the crystals he'd found, and it pleased him. Here, close to his abode, was the perfect retreat, and a tidy source of extra income. He'd had his eye on purchasing some new things, and that took work. Besides, his carvings usually sold well enough, as did the extra healing supplies he found spring through fall. Winter, however... It lacked. And he certainly could use this little escape from the tedium of the Weyr. As long as no injuries occurred, he had no pressing reason to spend all him time inside. And frankly, he still didn't enjoy the practical aspect of his taught craft. Perhaps he should add some studying time for breast craft...

[Mango]

U'ar always enjoyed waking up early. It gave him time to think. It gave him time to gather his thoughts and, eventually, put things to the back of his mind. No sense in walking around with a frown all day after all. He had been spending his mornings walking around the Weyr, learning ever nook and cranny, especially of the Lower Caverns. Just in case Mu decided to have a troublemaking streak and hide there. Not that it was likely that the young girl would ever do anything that would upset anyone. She was more likely to be found in the library than in the Lower Caverns.

But today, U'ar had woken up especially early. He had had trouble sleeping again. And because of that, he wanted to get out of the Weyr. He had heard of some sort of interesting caverns outside of the Weyr and he decided they might be nice to check out. It'd be an interesting distraction from thoughts of his dead love for sure.

His large brown dropped him off in front of the cave, giving him a grumble to be careful. He trusted His. His was strong and smart. Odyth turned to find a warm spot that the Rukbat was starting to shining on. U'ar smiled after his brown. That dragon and his daughter were the things that saved his life. Though it was true that the brown would have died as well if U'ar had died.

He walked into the cave, hand resting lightly on his beltknife. He didn't know what to expect from the caves. There could easily be felines hidden in there. He was only lightly on guard though. He wasn't going to let a possibility to explore something new and distract himself be too ruined. He padded in, hand lightly touching the walls. He had brought a small basket of glows with him, but it didn't add too much light. Well, Shards. But, curiously, he swore he saw a flicker of light up ahead. Perhaps he wasn't alone?

U'ar slowly walked forward. He could definitely see a flicker of light now. He paused for a moment, not sure what to do, then called out "Hello?"

[Lothyna]

The breath of air through the caves was a soothing whisper as Mikovren lost himself in thought. Even inside his head, the delicate fingers danced over the crystals in the wall he was working currently, steadily removing perfect pieces, chunks, globes, points, and rods, to be turned into whatever fancy he had later. Since they often ended up as gifts to those close if he didn’t decide to sell, he was taking care to enjoy the natural beauty. After a time, he’d moved to another wall, darker, and was now working out a few large, slim slabs, pack spread out behind him on the floor. The already-gathered crystals lay carefully atop hide or already swathed in sashes to prevent their breaking, cushioned against damage as he moved.

Noting a charge in the air, Mikovren frowned and stopped, for a moment, eyes tracking to the wall, then door. A brow arced before he loosened the knives he carried for defense, some side of him warning of a change, and knelt, quickly building a tiny pyre, before lighting a flame. Fire drove off most predators and prey, and it was somewhat chilly, tucked amid the damp rock. Eyeing the supply of wood, he nodded to himself. There was enough for an hour, maybe two, and he still had the torches.

Humming, Mikovren returned to the slabs, carefully etching out the chunks he wanted as designs and thoughts flitted through his brain-just like the clutch so recently hatched. And a disappointment, that. He frowned at himself, wondering why he bothered to attend, when never had he been alluring to the little beauties-nor to the dragons themselves, despite the hatchings he’d attended. As a healer, mind, but still well within range. He shrugged, mentally. Obviously, there was something there unfit for a rider-which was fine. However, he couldn’t deny a part of him longed for companionship, especially the little darling fire lizards. Maybe he’d get a cat…

Lost in that, the whisper of a voice jolted the young dragon healer back to his sturriounds. Startled, Mikovren spun, dropping the chisel he'd held in favor of grabbing a knife from his braid at the unexpected voice in the caverns. After a minute, he chuckled at himself, then grinned, tucking it away, and gathering the chisel up even as he heard the figure come closer to the light from his glows. Settling the crystal he'd broken free in his pouch, the young journeyman walked forward, with a smirk tugging his lips. "Bright morning, " he paused, taking in the knots and the figure, racking his brains for the name. "U'ar. Is Odyth well?" He could think of no reason for someone to seek him out unless it was a dragon in need, and waited, a curious tilt t his head, as he leaned against the wall.

[Mango]

Yes, he was definitely not alone. He affirmed this from the light humming that arose from nearby. It slowly reverberated ever so lightly through the caverns. U'ar closed his eyes and took it in. It was amazing how two creatures-humans and dragons- hummed.But their reasons were so different. And the sound was so different.

The dragon's hum was a beautiful thing. It signaled greatness. New dragons with all their strength were to be born. It was a deep sound that came from inside. U'ar doubted he could ever copy it. Or any human for that matter. Whers and firelizards got close. But humans. He hadn't heard a one.

After that, human humming seemed odd and out of place. Like humans had stolen it from their dragon companions. Stolen it and rendered it common. A simple thing to keep a quiet space a little more cheerful. For, certainly, that was what this humming entailed. Just a space filler.

He called out and jumped as metal hit stone. He turned towards the sound, feet walking towards it. He gently positioned his hand a little closer to his belt knife. Yes, the other party was human but who was to say it was someone from the Weyr?

The slightly smirked face of the dragon healer relaxed the brown rider. U'ar's shoulders visibly slumped as he took himself off guard and a smiled pulled at his lips. The light from the torches did horrible things to the bags under his eyes, but the smile seemed to help a little. U'ar was surprised at his desire for company so early. Well, company besides Odyth.

"Good morning, Mikovren," U'ar said, giving a firm head nod, "Odyth fares well. It takes a lot to get that big brown down. I was just trying to get out of the Weyr. Clear my head a little. I like to start the day that way, you know?" He gave a small laugh, not read to offer more detail to the young man. He was a bit of a stranger.