Date: 25.13.2684 (04.26.10)
Location: Forests, Fort Weyr
People: Anaky, Galina
Synopsis: A chance run-in with a weaver turns into a light meal of skewered veggies.
It's a cold early afternoon, without the usual flurries of snow. No wind, no clouds, just cold air and clear skies, with Rukbat shining crisply overhead. It's not the most ideal of weather to be out riding but, as it turns out, a certain young Healer is out and about doing just that. Like as not, just practicing to further familiarize herself with the gray-hued runner that she's been traveling with for a fair while now. But to identify Galina at first will take a trained eye — she's bundled up in colors that are wholly not within her usual spectrum, with a dark brown leather jacket, wool-lined, and dark brown gloves to match her trousers and battered boots. A green scarf is looped over her head, while the collar of the jacket is high enough that it covers her from the nose down. Impossible to identify, unless one is familiar enough with the set of her eyes. Where woman and beast are going is anyone's guess; they're just headed away from the Weyr, perhaps for just a casual jaunt along the woodland trails.
The sound of hooves crunching on snow is audiable through the trees, as are the occasional glimpses of a deep auburn hue, the color of a very fuzzy scarf currently wrapped around a young man's shoulders. It's not long before Anaky appears, bundled against the cold in a thick jacket and gloves, his clothing a mix of shades, warm and pale browns mingling, though the snug, nitted hat he wears is the same hiue as his scarf. The tasseled ends are black - Fort's colors - as are his boots. He's riding an old, patient mare whose dark klah-toned coat at first may not be too visible amongst the tree trunks. But, as the they approach, she gives a soft snort, slowing further and turning as Anaky tugs a bit on the reigns. He waves a cheery, "Hi," to the girl, "You're out here for a trail ride too?" As they get closer, however, the boy blinks, finally recognizing her, "Oh! You're Galina!" Does he seem surprised? Maybe a little.
Dark-maned, pale-bodied, and a bit stocky as runners go, the beast is mostly just ambling along while the young woman keeps hold of the reins. Galina glances askance when she first hears, then spots, another along the way. There's a whuffing noise from the runner, paired with a puff of winter air, and then he's being tugged along to come more alongside where Anaky and his mare are trotting along. A hand lifts in a brief wave, though any smile or other expression is left unseen. "Of course," is her answer to his first question, deadpan as ever. "He was being difficult to the stablehands. I felt he just needed to get out for a little while," is her observation. There's a pause, then a confirming nod, as if he needed such confirmation to assure that, yes, it /is/ her. The voice is a dead giveaway. "Which trail did you intend to follow?"
Anaky's mare returns the whuffing noise with one of her own, shaking out her mane a bit as she slows further, to match pace with the other runner. Anaky lifts a hand to tuck a lock of his own stray hair up under his hat, away from his eyes, an unconscious gesture, likely. The boy peers down at Galina's mount when the girl explains, "I guess the runners must be getting restless lately. With all the snow and the cold, hardly anyone's going riding." Except Anaky, who tugs the scarf around his neck beneath his chin, so he's not talking into the edge of it. The tip of the lad's nose is very pink, as are his cheeks, from the cold perhaps. "Oh," a little shrug given, "Whichever one leads to Firebloom Hill. It's not as pretty in the winter, but there's a camp on the way." He half-turns to the pat the saddlebag at the mare's side, "I was going to try some things," though what, he doesn't explain. Instead, Anaky grins at her, "Want to come along? I brought snacks."
The gelding shakes his head with another whuff-neigh, ears slicking back for a moment before his head lifts again. Galina eyes the grulla from the corner of an eye, but it's Anaky's motion — that brushing of hair from his face — that draws her attention almost immediately. No comment is made, though when he works his scarf down, she reaches up to work the collar down a little so her words aren't quite as muffled. Her nose isn't pink … yet. It will be soon enough, though. "Perhaps that is all there is to it," she agrees, giving the dark-maned beast a gentle pat. Galina glances around, in search of something or another, and then she answers, "I see. That one is not too far from here, fortunately." While a glance is given to the pack that Anaky's brought with him, the Healer's soon spurring the grulla along to pick up the pace just a touch to lead the way. While she has her own pack, it's small and topped with a bedroll — perhaps just habitual to carry such a thing around. A glance back is given, one brow lifting … and then she's asking, "What did you intend to try?" Wary? Maybe. Still, she mulls the offer over quite thoroughly before, "I will accompany you, if that is what you would like."
Anaky bobs his head, "The top of the hill has a nice view too," puffing out his breath a little, "I wish I'd brought a sled along. It would've been kind of fun." But alas, no sled is in sight. Anaky urges his runner forward as well, picking up the pace a little to follow, the boy commenting, "I'll bet no one's been up that way in a while. Hopefully, the campsite's still clear. Would be a bit of a pain to clear the snow again." He tilts his head as he catches sight of the bedroll, though he's distracted from asking by the girl's question. Anaky gives a soft, light laugh, "Well…" he lifts a hand to rub the back of his neck idly, "I brought along aome skewers, to try roasting some things over a fire." The grin returns, if somewhat sheepish, "I'll bet it would be pretty nice since it's so cold out." As they go along, Anaky chuckles, "Sure, it's more fun with two. Come on," offering her a smile.
"It is an interesting area," Galina observes, guiding the animal along to the start of the path that leads inexorably to the barrens and the hill at the heart of them. "I am not sure if it still has snow, but, if it does, at least there are two people to clear it, rather than you needing to do so alone," she points out, canting a look over her shoulder at him. That look lingers as she allows the runner to pick his way along a path that's all-too-familiar to him — this is a place she's gone more than a few times, it would seem — with her commenting, "I see." Pause. "Have you ever cooked with skewers over an open fire before?" Curious. She looks at him for a long moment longer, then turns to face forward. Eventually: "I have some dried fruit and some cookies." Well, that's part of her pack at least. And on they go, even if it's not over a river — they're definitely headed through the woods.
Nodding in agreement, Anaky adjusts his scarf a little and then tugs his gloves as well. "I went up that way with my brother in the spring, but it's not the same adragonback," his eyes scan the trees on either side, letting his own runner follow Galina's. "True enough," the boy grins lightly, about there being two people to clear the snow, "It's under a circle of pines, so it should be clear. I'll bet it's nice and quiet too." As for the question on cooking, the boy looks rather more sheepish, ducking his head as he answers, "Oh, uh, not really. But I figure it's worth a shot, as long as I don't set anything on fire." This has him looking up woth a light grin, "I only brought vegetables anyway, so it should be fine." Warm raw veggies can be delicious too! Charred on the other hand.. But then Galina is mentioning cookies, and Anaky tilts his head curiously, "Oh? What kind?" Possibly, his big brother's not the only one in the family with a sweet tooth.
And, for a while at least, there's only silence, with the steady beat of runner's hooves and the distant sound of wind rippling through trees to break the stillness. Galina finally says, "We should be fine. As long as the area around the fire is sufficiently clear, the worst that will happen is that we burn the vegetables." She reaches up, if only to tweak her scarf a bit further down over her forehead. "Shortbread cookies with a little bit of jam between them and some peanut butter cookies, as well. However, they were made a few days ago. For that, I apologize." Then again, it's not like she figured on having company. Stale cookies! Such a travesty. The path comes to an eventual fork, but neither woman nor runner hesitates; they take one of the forks without batting an eye, venturing further into the cold, somewhat darker belly of the forest as they go.
Anaky shifts a little in the saddle, at the silence, seeking to fill it with a, "The woods are so still in winter." Yep. Subtle. He bobs his head, asking after a second, "You ever tried roasting anything over a campfire?" He might as well ask, the boy smiling with a little self-conscious glance down at thew saddlebag, "I hope we don't burn them. It took me long enough to get the cooks to let me takea pack out. They're making stews for tonight." Hence the need for veggies, apparently. The lad's eyes brighten atthe answer about the cookies, "Those sound good," though there's a softer, "Oh." Alas, for stale cookies. "I'm sure they'll taste fine anyway," he grins, after a pause, hisrunner following Galina's down the fork inthe trail. He leans down a little, ducking one of the low branches as his runner strays closer to the edge of the trail. Tugging the reins, he gets her back onto the trail proper, giving the surrounding trees a bit of a look.
There's a mute nod for his words, a singular up-down-center motion that's eventually followed up with a dull "Of course," for his question. "My mentor and I often have to make camp on the side of whatever road we are traveling on. Sometimes, we have to cook our meals over a campfire." Pause. "I do not think we will burn them." There's a soft creak as Galya shifts in the saddle and adjusts her hold on the reins, adding, "I hope they do. They did not seem too bad when I tried them earlier, but such a thing is always a matter of opinion." Their journey soon brings them to a place where the path grows narrow and the branches grow a bit more grabby, with the packed earth and gravel breaking up bit by bit and forcing them to gradually slow down to pick their way along. Despite the day being clear and bright, the forest drapes its shadow over the path and the travelers upon it, making the occasional breezes feel that much cooler and the sounds of nature that much louder. "It is not much further," she assures.
"Well, at least one of us will know what they're doing," Anaky says with a bit a of a light laugh, grinning at Galina. "Oh, hmm, I guess you guys travel a lot? What's it like, camping out all the time?" he adjusts his hat briefly, tucking back another straying strand of hair. As the path narrows, the boy ducks down a little more, to avoid the branches catching on his hat. The mare, too, slows, moving with care, and clearly in no hurry to be anywhere, really. The lad nods about it being not much further, pale eyes scanning the surrounding trees. "My brother told me there are all sorts of odd things out here. There's a building with a metal roof almost as old as the weyr, he said. And I'd heard there were wild canines living out here once, back when the Amethysts camp was open. A bunch of candidates were attacked," his nose wrinkling a bit, "I doubt there's anything out here now, but I'm glad we've got dragons to take is places." Alas, Anaky, so weyrbred.
She scrunches down as well, a hand lifting to cover the top of her head and make sure the scarf isn't going anywhere. Patches of snow can be glimpsed through the trees, small ones at first, but suggestive that there may yet be some lingering snow from the day previous lurking on the ground up ahead. "I just know how not to burn the sticks," is her reply, though good-natured. Up ahead, the crushing presence of trees begins to slacken, hinting at the clearing that's beyond — and, further, to the hill. While Anaky speaks, Galina is silent, the barest movement of her head implying that she's acknowledging what he's saying. Eventually, though, she wonders, "Have you ever seen the building before? Did he say where it was?" Pause. "Wild canines? I cannot imagine they will be too active out here this time of year," but, then, this is offered with dubious hope. "If they are, then I am not sure dragons will be able to help us." Firelizards … maybe.
Anaky nods, grinning still, "You'll have to show me when we get ther- whoops," his words cut off as his poor hat is snatched away by a low branch, leaving the boy's over-long hair to flop into his face, and cling around his ears. There's a 'pfff' sound as he tries to blow the strans away from his mouth, leaning precariously back and sideways to grab the hat before the mare wanders along. He manages to do so, giving the trees another look with a quiet huff. "I haven't seen it myself," Anaky admits, about the building, "But my brother promised to show me where it is when it gets warmer." As for the canines, Anaky nods an, "I hope not. Heard they were pretty viscious." He's silent while he pulls the hat back on his head, taking his gloves off to tuck all that messy hair back under it. "I've got my firelizards here," he offers at that last part, tugging gloves back on again, "Cheer is trained to go find my dad when I tell him to." Possibly not that useful, but better than nothing!
"Of course," she replies, then turns abruptly at the 'whoops'. Yuri is reined in to a stop while Anaky retrieves his hat, a slow blink and a mild, "Are you alright?" being queried. Only when all seems well does she nudge the grulla along, plodding his way through and then passing from choking forest and into a snow-covered clearing. The runner's hooves crunch in the lingering snow, while the Healer herself reaches up to adjust the scarf and check for any pine needles that might be stuck in it. "That is a shame," says she of the building, her mouth pulling to a side. "It would be interesting to explore it. Does he know what it might have been used for, once?" There's a slight nod for his words, her mouth still pulled while she intones, "My two are useful for what they do, but it is better that you are able to find someone nearby." She's making a bit of a leap of logic here. Her beast is slowed to a stop and maneuvered off to a side, with a tilt of her head given to Anaky. "Do you know the way from here?"
"Yeah, it's fine," Anaky waves of any concern with a vaguely sheepish grin, "I forgot to duck." The mare keeps on plodding forward at an easy pace, despite Anaky shifting a bit and leaning forward to avoid another low branch. Shaking his head slowly, the boy answers about the building, "I only know he said it looked ruined. I'll ask him, though." He slows the mare, giving Galina a it of a head-bob, "Yup, it should be right over there," indicating a gap in the trees. Swinging down from the saddle, Anaky moves to tie the mare's lead to a nearby tree trunk. He gives her a pat before removing the saddlebag and hefting it over his shoulder. Adjusting his own scarf, he heads through the trees, shooting Galina a light grin, "I'll bet there's a clear area, too. That one tree in the middle is always looked after, at least when I come here."
"I see." And that, it seems, is all she'll say while she dismounts and guides the gray horse over to join the mare and tie him up. "Stay, Yuri." Unnecessary, perhaps, but it's just habit at this point, as is the pat to the nose. She pulls her bag off and gives him a light rub on the haunch before turning to follow Anaky this time. After a long moment or two of silence and the sound of boots crunching in snow, she says, "A clearing would be ideal; the snow does not seem to be too thick to be too difficult to remove otherwise." A lingering glance is given to the clearing and then to the place indicated, with Galina wondering, "How often do you come here?"
Anaky slips through the gap in the trees to the clearing in the underbrush, giving it a long look before moving toward the firepit. The surrounding pines have kept the ground relatively free of snow, and there's a slight depression where something heavy may have been. It's roughly square in shape, and right beside the firepit, but whatever made it is long gone. Anaky pays it no mind, instead kneeling beside the firepit and letting the saddlebag slide slowly to the ground. "It's pretty ideal," he grins over his shoulder at Galina, "I've come here a couple of times with my dad, and every other sevenday in the summer, some of the weyrbrats come out to light a fire and tell stories and stuff." He pauses to unwrap his scarf, settling on the petrified log, before moving towards the trees once again. "I guess we're going to have to gather sticks, though.." the firepit is given a brief look. It's clear of snow and mostly of pine needles, looking as if it may have been used fairly recently. Anaky just trails off for a few seconds before shrugging lightly, "We're pretty lucky, we don't have to dig it out."
While he pushes on toward the firepit, Galina lingers just a few steps into the clearing, taking her time in studying the area. The depression is noted, as is the state of the firepit, all with that empty, inscrutable look in place. Only when she's satisfied does she make her approach, her bag being unshouldered and set down some distance from the firepit. She works her scarf down, exposing the tight bun of her hair, and gives a bit of a stretch before casting a look around. "I see," she settles on saying for now, the line of her mouth pulling a little to one side. "Is this a particularly popular spot during the winter? I can understand summer and perhaps late spring or early autumn." This, clearly, in a nod to her observation of the firepit's state. The mention of needing to gather sticks is met with a nod, though she doesn't immediately go to hunt for the things just yet. Well, not until he starts moving to the trees again; she's not about to be left alone here, even for a little while.
"I don't really know," Anaky admits, leaning down to gather small branches at the edge of the clearing, "I've only been living in Fort for about a turn, and I spend most of of my time at the Hall, but it seems like it must be." He moves further along to gather more sticks as he talks, "I wonder who else comes out here. Probably weyrbrats or riders.." musings cut short as he nearly walks into a branch. At least this time he ducks under it before it manages to steal his hat! He gives it a dirty look, as if it were at fault, and leands down to pick up another stick. After he's found a fair number, he returns with an armful to the fire pit and unceremoniously drops them in. He doesn't move too fast, though, keeping Galina within sight. After all, it would probably be bad if he accidentally lost the person he'd invited along!
While the girl probably could find her way back just fine, it probably still wouldn't be wise to lose her. She picks her way along slowly, bending to pick up this stick or that. Galina might be ghost-silent in the halls of the Weyr but, out here and in boots and despite her best efforts, she's easily tracked by the sound of her trekking around on fallen twigs and snow and Faranth knows what else. When she catches sight of poor Anaky thwarting the kleptomaniac branch, however, it just can't be helped: she laughs, though the sound is short-lived and soft. "You should have brought another hat," she quips. She manages to escape such attentions, though a few pine needles inexorably find their way down to land in her hair — unbenkownst to her. "Perhaps," she says after a moment. "Or perhaps there are Runners that make use of it, too." That seems to make the most sense for her, anyway. Her armload of branches is eventually deposited near the firepit — only to be neatly stacked, or as neatly as they can be, at any rate. "
"I really should've," Anaky chuckles softly back, giving the girl a sheepish half-grin, and adjusting his hat a bit, almost self-conscious now. He dusts off his gloves and then removes them to place on the log beside his scarf, the boy moving to the saddleag to start removing kindling and matches. There's a slight nod in agreement, "Maybe," though the lad busies himself with getting a little fire going first. Once he manages that, and it does take a couple of tries, he leans back a little and grins, "There, that should do it." He watches the little blaze for a moment, and then turns to get out the rest of the saddlebag's contents - some neatly wrapped packages of cut-up vegetables and a some long skewers. He holds out the latter to Galina with a, "Here, want to try the first lot?"
While he gets the fire going, she starts feeding in a few more sticks until it's properly worked up. Only then does she go to her bag to retrieve the bedroll that was strapped onto it, only to toss it over the petrified log and then to perch on it. Her gloves are tucked in her pockets, the scarf untied and then wrapped around her neck — ends tucked into the jacket, of course — to keep it out of the way. She stretches her hands out, rubs them together and then reaches over to take the offered skewers with a contemplative air. "Yes. Although we usually use the metal skewers. It seems like there should be a trick to using the wooden ones." But, if there is, she hasn't puzzled it out. In either case, she holds the skewer out, motioning with her chin to the veggie packets. "Would you care to skewer them? That way, I do not risk dropping them."
Anaky nods and begins unwrapping the vegetables, grinning lightly as he carefully skewers them, sliding them along until there are 5-6 on each. The boy moves to join Galina by the log, though he continues to kneel on the ground, not quite getting settled yet as more things are retrieved from the saddlebag. He uses one of the flat stones beside the log as a table, setting the vegetable package down and then perching on the edge of it, and using the knife he takes next from the bag to cut a few of the larger pieces into bite-sized bits. "Think the wooden ones will be trickier than the metal ones?" he tilts his head at her, though he answers his own question a moment later with a, "I'll bet it would be pretty tricky if it caught on fire." Though this idea gets a grin, "Here, I'll watch you first, just in case." No sense risking charred food!
She watches him at his work when the skewers are made, her head tilting at a birdlike angle first one way … then the other, when he proceeds to cut some of the pieces down. "They might be. They are wooden, so … yes, it might complicate matters if they catch on fire." Her lips purse thoughtfully, but the young woman shakes her head a moment later, glancing down at the already skewered bits. "Perhaps soaking the sticks might help as a preventative measure." But, of course, it's too late for these ones. Ah well. The Healer leans forward, skewers in hand, and holds them out over the fire. Not directly in it, of course, but above it, so the veggies are only picking up the heat and smoke wafting off the top. Not because that's 'best', perhaps, but it /is/ terribly convenient. "I suppose that would make sense," Galya muses, though there's a slight shake of her head. "However, I am not sure it will be much help." It's the blind leading the blind, here. Mostly.
"Oh! I have a canister of water," Anaky fishes that out of the pack, tilting his head at the already-skewered vegetables for a moment. He nods, "We could soak them," though he watches her for a moment or two before opening the water container and then picking up another skewer. He begins to dip each one before setting them on the wrapping beside the vegetables, soon getting them all done. The water, he sets aside. "How long do you think they'll take to cook?" the boy asks, plucking up more vegetable chunks to skewer. He gets a few done, alternating types of veggies in various orders. After a minute or so of watching Galina, Anaky leans forward to try heating one too, saying with a grin, "I just hope I don't end up with a torch."
"Not too long. If we had meat on the skewers, it would take longer," naturally. "Perhaps a few minutes, just long enough to heat them through but to allow them to retain their crispness." She turns hers a little, just enough to start heating the other side, her eyes fixed less on the vegetables and more on the bits of wood between — then again, she's understandably more concerned with the idea of it catching fire in her hand than with singed vegetables. "Yours should be safe," Galina determines, "the water should give them extra time before they start to heat up and burn." There's a bit of silence, thoughtful if perhaps awkward for the placement of it, and then, "What compelled you to come all this way to do this? You could have emulated the experience by using the hearth in the living cavern." Her head tilts and she regards him from the corner of an eye, "And if you had intended to do this alone, then you have not done particularly well at doing so." But, at least, that last is said with a smile. Or a ghost of one, at any rate.
Anaky nods, "Yeah, the cooks wouldn't let me ring meat out. They said I might food poisoning or something like that," there's a sheepish grin briefly, "Probably a good idea there." Since he doesn't know how to roast veggies, let alone tasty meats. Anaky peers at his veggies on a stick, cautiously lowering them toward the fire, though he maintains a certain distance, not wanting it to catch fire either. etter safe than sorry, after all. The silence is likely more awkward for him, the boy shifting a little where he sits, and paying careful attention to the skewer in his hand. "Oh, uh, mostly because nobody else wanted to go with me," perhaps realizing that's not quite an answer, "Uh.. I just had to get outside somewhere." He pauses. "Journeyman Reiese is really.. into getting people to wear his designs. I haven't had a minute to sit down, when I'm in the weyr." In other words, he's totally escaping modelling stuff. He rubs the back of his neck with his free hand, "I'll bet I'd have burned it," chuckling softly to himself.
"Understandable," says she of the cooks and their logic, a singular nod being given. Another turn of the stick reveals a bit of charring between a few things, eliciting a wrinkle of her nose. The skewers she has are withdrawn, faint plumes of woodsmoke drifting up from where the fire bit at the wood. "This is not satisfactory," she observes, but, regardless, takes one skewer separately in her free hand and lifts it to blow on it. It's when he says that no one else wanted to go with him that she pauses, one eyebrow creeping up as she considers him from a corner of an eye. "I would have thought that you would have plenty of friends or acquaintances willing to accompany you here," she remarks, that lifted brow dropping a moment later and a crease forming on her forehead. Galina's mouth flattens a bit, settling back into neutrality as he continues. The rest earns a mild, "I see." And then there's silence again, while she tries to cool skewer one of two off.
Anaky's own skewer begins to make sizzle-noises, and the lad jerks it away fro mthe fire quickly, only to find it's simply steaming. He lowers it again, cautiously, maintaining a distance from the flames. He gives Galina's slightly singed skewer a brief glance, "Oh, hmm. At least it didn't catch fire?" Looking on the bright side. He smiles, "Oh, I do, but none of the other weavers, I mean," the boy's expression growing a bit more sheepish. "A lot of them are from the Hall in Southern Boll. I knew they wouldn't want to come with me, so I could.. get away." He clears his throat, but looks fairly cheerful about it, nonetheless. Yay for escaping. He continues to let the veggies roast, ignoring the sizzling sounds from the skewer and turning to watch Galina. "How do you tell when they're done?" he tilts his head a little, glancing back to the fire thoughtfully.
"It is a small blessing," she supposes, then switches skewers to blow on the other one. Eating? Not yet. Not until everything's just right, of course. "I see," is said of his explanation, though her mouth pulls to a side. "If you had found me earlier," she reasons, "I could have brought a tea kettle. Or some tubers and leaves to wrap them in to roast in the coals." Galya glances over at Anaky's hissing skewer, only to answer with, "It depends on how well-done you like them. If you just want it warmed through, it should be sufficiently done now. If you prefer it a bit more roasted, then give it just a little longer. Another minute, perhaps." All estimated, of course. Her food is just a little beyond heated through, but not quite as done as she might prefer.
"Roasted tubers sound good," Anaky says, looking thoughtful. "I'll bet we could do this again?" turning to har with a slightly arched brow, "When are you free, next? I'm sure I could ask one of the cooks how to do this kind of thing, or get someone to show me-" and it's about then he notices the black tendrils of smoke coming from the skewer he's holding, his hand having drifted downward a little. The boy pulls it back, but alas, the veggies are blackened on the bottom side. At least the wooden skewer itself hadn't caught fire. "Oops," he mumbles, blowing on the vegetables for a second, as if that might help. "I guess.. mine are really well done," said with a little laugh, adding after a moment's consideration, "I can eat around the burnt bits." There's a sizable pile of veggies on the rock beside him, the half a dozen skewers likely more then enough for the both of them.
There's a shallow nod for his thoughtful agreement, her attention mostly centered on finagling the sticks around so she can remove bits with her fingers to eat. She's stubborn in many regards and picky eating is definitely one of them. One piece is taken, eaten methodically, and swallowed before she answers. "There is no reason we could not, short of blizzard-like conditions," she determines. "It will be another six days before I have a restday, but-" another bit of something is pulled off the stick "-my afternoons and evenings are typically free from duties." There's a slow blink for the smoke wafting up from his sticks, her brows lifting a bit in the process. "Really well done on one side, at least," she agrees. There's a tilted half-smile, dubiously ventured, before she points out, "The stick held up better than the vegetables did." As opposed to hers. Hooray for experimentation?
Anaky bobs his head, "The weather's been nice today. Hopefully it stays this way for awhile." He glances skyward, smiling slightly, gaze travelling along the various branches for a moment. Another nod, "Oh, hmm, I get restdays whenever I don't have lessons here or at the hall, and every other afteroon I usually don't have any craft duties," though he pauses, "..except when Reise asks me to wear something for him." The boy lets out a slow, long-suffering sigh for that. He peers at his skewer, nose wrinkling as he turns it to eye the singed side. "I guess so," he chuckles lightly, turning the skewer back around to blow gently on the unburnt portion. "It's probably because the skewer was wet," he ponders the wooden skewer, holding it up in one hand while using the fingers of his other hand to tap gently at the still-steaming vegetables, to assess whether they're too hot to handle. Eventually, after a bit more blowing on the end, nibbles the veggie chunk on the very tip of the skewer. "Well, it's edible," the lad announces happily, "Just have to keep a better eye on it next time," adding after a second, "or remember to turn it.
"I see." Silence, again, while she picks at her food to eat it, her attention not so much /drifting/ as being very focused on that one thing. "Grigoriy tends to allow for additional time if he feels it is necessary. This," she motions to the fire and the food, "would be something he would approve of." The line of her mouth tips to a side, thoughtfully. "He is unusual, as mentors go." Clearly. Galina picks at a bit more, though it's clear that she's rapidly hitting her limit on food. Whatever remains to be cooked will be all his, soon enough. "Next time, we can bring the wooden-handled metal skewers," she decides, slanting a look askance to him. "That way, burning the skewer is not an issue. You would just need to remember to turn them."
"He certainly sounds like an interesting metnor," Anaky grins lightly, "How long have you been apprenticed to him?" He carefully plucks some of the vegetables off the skewer, nibbling around the burnt bits. "Maybe he should come with us sometime?" Anaky ponders, tilting his head to glance at Galina a moment, "I'll bet if he travels a lot, he'd know a lot about this kind of thing." There's a but of a hmm about the type of skewers, the boy nodding, "I've seen them, though I don't know where Rickard has the kitchenstaff storing them now. I'll have to ask around," he nibbles on the last of the vegetables and sets the skewer and singed veggies aside to take another to heat over the fire. "I'm sure we could find some though," and a quiet laugh, "I'd sure like them better." He does remember to turn the skewer this time. Though his second batch of vegetables might be a little underdone, he nevertheless eats them after some tentative blowing and finger-tapping, to make sure they've cooled once away from the fire.
"Long enough," she determines, the line of her mouth flattening just a little. "But he is interesting. He is inquisitive and stubborn, but knowledgeable, which is worthy of respect." Her second skewer is quickly cleaned off, the skewers themselves being given a once over before she tosses them into the fire. "If his knee is not troubling him, I am sure he would be happy to get out of the Weyr for a while. However, knowing him, he will insist on a full camping trip." Her nose wrinkles subtly, soon smoothing out a moment later. Galina tilts her head slightly, regarding him sidelong. "If nothing else, we could take the ones out of our traveling gear to use. They work well enough." And then she's quiet, just watching while he makes and then eventually eats his next skewer. Ahh, yes. Awkward silence. Again. She's pretty good at that, at least.
Anaky nods about her mentor, looking a bit thoughtful, though the mention of camping does earn something of a grimace, "Not sure I'd want to camp out here in the wintertime." Safer to take just Galina, some skewers, and a tea kettle. He bobs his head about the skewers, tossing his own used wooden ones into the fire after she does. He doesn't appear inclined to roast anymore veggies though, eyes flicking to the two remaining skewers and much smaller vegetable pile. "Did you want to try another?" he asks, leaning down to retrieve some napkins from the saddlebag. One he offers to her, shifting in the awkward silence. Oh yes, she's a /champion/ of those.
The worst part of the silence is likely the fact that she's unaware of it being remotely awkward. It's just a conversational lapse, nothing more, nothing less, for the likes of her. Galina gives her hands a once over and, determining that they're clean enough — for now, given givens — she digs her gloves out to pull them on, only to fold them in her lap. "No," is, at first, all she seems intent on saying … but some latent twinge of social norms kicks in enough for her to add, "Thank you." The cookies? The dried fruit? All forgotten for now. The Healer glances at the remaining bits and then at Anaky with a light — and maybe, possibly, a bit teasing in a nice way — "Agnessa would say that your eyes were larger than your stomach, for what is left over." There's just a whiff of nostalgia in her tone, something that's short-lived as she looks across the way to where her runnerbeast is. "Are you satisfied with how your roasting turned out?"
Anaky bobs his head and begins to pack up the items he'd taken out of the saddlebag, carefully re-wrapping the vegetables and skewers before tucking them away. He seems to have forgotten about the food she brought as well, glancing back the way they had come for a moment. He has to give a bit of a sheepish laugh for her teasing, "I don't eat very much. Truth is, I'd expected to burn a lot more than I did," briefly rubbing the back of his neck. Hence the large amount of vegetables and half dozen skewers. He might catch the nostalgia in her tone, for her tilts his head slightly, asking, "Who's Agnessa?" as he closes up the saddlebag. "I suppose so," the boy smiles, getting to his feet, "Next time we're out here, hopefully I'll be able to keep them from getting burnt." He ponders for a second, adding lightly, "I'll bet I could practice in the caverns, if I had to. There're hearths.." the musing trailing off as he heads back toward the horses, pausing to wait for Galina.
Meanwhile, Galina moves to slide off her perch when Anaky starts to pack things up. She starts to get her things together — well, okay, it's just the bedroll, but still — and then she cants a look to the fire. There's a long moment's consideration, then she looks to Anaky with, "I do not eat much either," obviously. "So, next time, we will not need to worry about bringing so much." Leaving the fire for now, she starts to follow Anaky over to where Yuri's been tied up, giving the poor creature a gentle pat on the flank. She's silent for a moment or two after he asks, her mouth pulling to a side before she attempts a half-smile that's short-lived. "Agnessa is the head cook at Ogren. She was always concerned with how much I ate — or did not eat. She taught me how to cook." For the last, there's a contemplative nod and a musing, "We could attempt to cook meat that way at the Weyr, too, if we utilized the hearths."
Anaky nods, "We'll have more space for the kettle," a he attaches the saddlebag again, giving the mare a pat before returning to the clearing. "Oh? She sounds like a pretty nice person," he comments about Agnessa, rubing his hands together as he stops by the firepit once again. "I guess we'd better put this out," the boy retrieves his gloves and scarf, wrapping the latter snugly about his neck, having to adjust it somewhat so he can speak without his voice being muffled. That done, the lad heads over to the nearest patch of snow to begin putting the fire out, taking a big clumpy handful and dropping the lot of it on the blaze.
"Of course." Without context, it might just cover everything he's said, all in a single, efficient go. Galina lapses into silence and rigs her things up to her runner, only to double back and help with putting the fire out. More snow is heaped onto it, the remaining sticks and so forth left behind for the next person who might be inclined to use it. Only when she's satisfied does she straighten and dust her gloved hands off, glancing up to the sky. "We should return soon. There is supposed to be a storm rolling in later," and, indeed, there are gnarly clouds building overhead, slowly but surely. "I also have some baking to tend to."
Anaky dusts snow off his gloves, watching the last of the fire sputter and die under the heapings of snow. He waits a moment to make sure the blaze is truly out before heading back toward the runners with a head-bob for Galina. "I'll bet my brother's just thrilled about that," the boy chuckles softly, gaze also flitting skyward briefly. He unties the mare's lead from the tree trunk and swings up to the saddle with a little huff. "Hope I manage to keep my hat on the way back," grinning lightly, and giving the nearest branches a suspicious look. Potential hat thieves, the lot of them! "Oh?" he turns to Galina curiously, "What're you baking?" as he gets the mare back onto the trail.
There's just a bit of confusion, a mistranslation of the joke yielding a brief blink of bafflement before the Healer's expression settles back out into neutrality again. "Perhaps it will pass quickly," she finally says after untying the runner, reaching for the saddle and pulling herself up. It's the runner that huffs when she climbs aboard, one hoof stamping at the ground and churning up some snow. "I am not sure if the trees will have that; you may be fighting them the entire way since you thwarted them on the way here." Amused, that. Galya pulls her scarf up after dusting it off, covering the top of her head with the collar of her jacket popped up to cover her nose and mouth. "A sweet quickbread. Orange and cranberry triangles, effectively. I felt they would go well with the black tea that was sent to me." Pause. "If you would like, I can reserve some for you."
The mare, for her part, only shakes out her mane as she begins a lazy walk down the trail. Anaky misses Galina's baffled blink as he's adjusting his seat on the saddle, and giving the nearest branches a cautious eyeing. Galina's comment has him turning back to grin at her, "I'll bet they're just plotting to grab it when I least expect it," a bit of a laugh for that, "And here I thought the main thing I'd have to worry about at Fort was renegades out in the woods." The words are spoken lightly, although the boy pauses to make a face. Not something to really joke about that, given Fort's recent history. The lad rubs the back of his neck and lapses into silence for a second or two, but the mention of what she's backing has him smiling all over again. "If you need a hand, I have the rest of the afternoon free- well, so long as Reise doesn't find me," sheepishly added, "I'd like to try it, sure."
"They might be. They seemed very set on taking it." Such a thing would be far less humorous if she didn't sound so utterly serious and deadpan. Her smile is hidden behind the collar, naturally. Yuri whickers, tossing his head a bit, and settles into a casual trot behind the mare, more than happy to let the other horse take the lead. He did all the hard work the first time, after all! The mention of renegades elicits a brief darkening of her expression with thought, though she makes no comment — neither to confirm nor to chastise for the lightness. It is what it is, nothing more or less. The young woman is perfectly fine with the silence and allows it to span, on her end, until after he's done speaking. "We shall see. I will send Cyanosis later, before I start. If you are occupied, then so be it." A nod is given and then she falls silent, perhaps just to drift in thought while she studies the forest around them.
Anaky can't help but chuckle as he nods his head in agreement with that. And he's careful to keep an eye on the branches they pass, leaning low to avoid any potential hat thieves. Another head-bob about seeing later, the boy, too, falling silent as they head back to the weyr.
