Tight Quarters

[**Auria (etc)**]

Completing the walk to the Weyrleader's office with the cane in one hand and the hot redberry pie clutched in the other arm was more work than Penna had done in years. Her toes still hurt, even though the healers assured her that they were healing nicely. That morning the goldrider had consoled herself, for her situation was positively woeful, by bribing some weyrbrats to pick her a bushel of wild redberries, and stoke the ovens for her. Eight delicious pies now cooled in the kitchens (she smiled as she thought of the looks on the faces of the kitchen workers when they discovered a mystery baker had invaded their domain), three quarters of a pie were being kept warm in the bellies of the weyrbrats, and the other quarter pie....

Penna belched as she stopped outside the office. The last pie was another bribe of sorts.

She panted and leaned against the wall for a moment, wondering how M'kel would take her request. While she knew her proximity to the infirmary was convenient for the healers, the quarters were just so cramped. She was used to her own bathing room, her own necessary, plenty of space to move about and one of the best views in the Weyr, after all. A tiny cubicle with a dragon couch attached was no place to house a Queen Rider. She wondered what the Senior Weyrwoman's quarters looked like in this roughshod Weyr...

For that matter, she wondered what the Senior Weyrwoman looked like. She'd yet to meet the woman.

The Weyrleader, however, had told her he was at her disposal ... or at least she assumed the same, weren't all Weyrleaders at the call of the Queen Riders, after all? Since it didn't look like she'd be getting out of this desolate place any time soon, she might as well make her desires for comfort known.

She awkwardly balanced herself in front of the door, hoping the man was within, juggled the pie till she was certain she wouldn't totter and drop it, and knocked thrice with the head of her cane.

[M'kel]

It was one of those rare moments when M'kel was actually in his "Office". It was the last thing he had wanted, as he'd been quite enjoying coasting through Weyrleadership with people only able to bring problems to him if they spotted him randomly throughout the Weyr. However, it had been one of Sitareh's conditions that he settle down into an actual "Office" after Calith's recent Flight...and the fiasco thereafter.

Still, M'kel was a crafty one. Though he made certain to be in the office daily, in order to honestly tell Sitareh that he had done so, the bronzerider also made certain to be in it for the smallest amount of time possible. He much preferred to complete his administrative duties elsewhere. He would even rather pore over record hides on a sandy cove! Well, that had gotten him in trouble before, too, when the hide came back dusted with sand.

This day, the Weyrleader was grumbling to himself while peering at a mouldy hide too old to remove from the Weyr. It contained details on Threadfighting, and he couldn't justify delaying this 'light reading', so he was stuck at his desk for a candlemark or too. The bronzerider fervently hoped that no one would catch him here in that time.

His hopes were not to be answered, though, as a sharp knock was delivered to the outside of his door. M'kel sighed expansively and rose, slipping to the door. He glanced briefly around the office, nodding at the properly impressive stacks of hides on every usable surface (it made him appear quite busy), before opening the door.

With his most charming smile plastered upon his youthful features, the Weyrleader was prepared to greet whatever complaint might be delivered at his feet. He was not prepared, however, to see Penna, the newest goldrider in the Weyr, the one who had fumbled her way through time to Araelen. M'kel's smile faltered slightly. He had been avoiding this meeting for as long as possible, fearing another hysterical explosion or unreasonable demands. Sitareh was already worked up enough over this threat to her power; if Penna tried to insert herself into the Weyr as an equal power, or, worse, demanded aid in returning home...

Suddenly, he noticed the item perched in her hand, and his eyes lit up, fears forgotten. She had brought him a pie! There could be no malicious intent behind that. M'kel's nostrils flared as the scent of pastry and redberries teased his appetite. With an effort that almost appeared painful, he forced his gaze to meet hers. "Oh, hi, Penna. What can I do for you today?" Yes, her ploy had worked, and M'kel had taken the bait.

[**Auria (etc)**]

Penna startled slightly as the door swung open ... but caught herself and turned on what she believed to be a charming smile.

She held up the delightful pastry, it's flaky crust decorated with little cut outs of firelizards, the steam still rising from the vents. "It's still warm," she said, trying not to teeter too much as she resisted putting weight on her bad foot. "I hope you like redberry."

She craned her neck ever so slightly, making a grand effort to get a look around the Weyrleader's office without appearing to do so. "Um, may I come in? I promise not to take up too much of your time," she said sweetly. "I'd like to discuss the matter of ... living space ... with you."

She tilted her head a bit more sideways to see around M'kel's shoulders, and the effort to remain balanced fell apart miserably. She caught herself, reflexively, with the bad foot, and cried out for a moment ... a wordless shout that ended in, ".... CATCH THE PIE!"

For the pastry had slid from her hands and was making its way precariously toward either the floor ... or the front of M'kel's tunic (whichever it should meet first).

[M'kel]

As the portly woman raised the steaming pie higher, M'kel's eyes slipped quickly back to watch its progression. The carefully crafted designs along the crust only made the entire pie more appealing, for it placed it at a level above most ordinary pies. When she wondered aloud if he liked redberry, although the answer was readily evident on his mesmerized features, the Weyrleader nodded vehemently, unaware of the tongue that continually licked his lips as he dared to lean closer, smelling the glorious pastry.

When Penna returned to the business matter at hand, the bronzerider nodded once again, gesturing for her to move into the office but failing to move out of the way for her, so transfixed on the pie he was. When she shifted to see better past him, the pompous young man took this to be an attempt to study his handsome features, and he shifted accordingly, unwittingly blocking her view of the office. Living space was of little import; surely they could find her a weyr that would easily suit her needs, where she could bake pie all day long, and--

THE PIE! If he had not been so transfixed, nearly reaching for it despite his minimal self-restraint, he likely would not have reacted at all. As it was, M'kel gave no thought to an attempt to catch the unbalanced woman, for his fingers arced immediately through the air in an effort to get beneath the pie and prevent it from reaching the stone floor. He fell to his knees in the process, bringing himself lower, and a wordless cry tore from his throat, a strangled mix of horror and misery. The pan brushed his fingers, but the angle was too sharp, and the pie tipped over his outstretched palms, planting itself upside down on his hands.

M'kel bit his lip at the sting of the hot filling on his skin, groaning as a chunk of crust and redberries fell to the floor. Most of it was remaining on his hands, though, except for the few spatters on his tunic. For that, he could be grateful! Would Penna mind too much, he wondered, if he proceeded to lick his hands throughout their meeting? At least, the bronzerider thought triumphantly, no one else would want to eat a pie that his hands had been in! "That was...close..." he muttered, sparing her a weak grin while attempting to hold the rest of the pie in the upside down pan. "Let's just..." M'kel fumbled for a moment, edging backwards carefully into his office. Finally, he tipped the pie over quickly, clapping it firmly to the desktop and flicking away the crumbs that fell onto the outstretched hides.

"There!" His eyes were alight with delight at this smooth manouveur, and M'kel eagerly set to work on the redberry juice still adorning his palms. "You were saying?"

[**Auria (etc)**]

It was with some surprise that Penna, after catching herself against the doorway (and breaking a nail, shard it!) turned to see the pie still mostly intact, and M'kel setting it skillfully upright.

He'd saved the pie. This was a man after her own heart. And a handsome one, too, with a fine, strong bronze dragon. And he was Weyrleader....

Suddenly, for reasons that poor Penna really couldn't fathom (though they would probably be obvious to anyone else), getting back to Ista was no longer her greatest priority....

"Wow, honey," and she batted her blue eyes at him, for the sight of him licking pie filling off his fingers was oddly alluring, "Good catch!"

She limped into the office and, without asking leave, settled herself into a chair, hooked another with her cane, pulled it toward her, and propped up her sore foot.

"Now, about my ... arrangements," she said, taking no more than a moment to regather her thoughts. "The infirmary room is a bit ... crowded. And I really am used to my own necessary. And though Plianth fits on the couch, she just barely fits, for she's a very well endowed dragon, you know."

She felt her gold's rumble of approval in her mind.

"You'd mention some bronze weyrs that were quite ample. One wouldn't, by chance, be empty ... would one? Plianth prefers a weyr with a nice view, particularly one that overlooks the beast herds. And a nice breeze when the weather is hot, for she enjoys sunning on her own ledge after a nice cool bath. And of course the lift from the kitchens would have to be in working order."

She added this last item as an afterthought, for there was no kitchen lift to the private infirmary rooms, and she was getting tired of little piles of dishes collecting at her bedside while she waited for drudges to come and clean them away.

She smiled what she thought was her most charming smile, and wished she'd thought to bring along some clotted sweet cream for the pie.

[M'kel]

Penna's compliment for his fast reaction brought a pleased grin to M'kel's face, his youthful features easily revealing the innocence that still had not left him. He nodded, quite proud of himself for saving the delicious pie, for it was proving to be just as delectable as he had hoped. The bronzerider licked at his fingers with relish, sighing with delight as the sweet juices tickled his tongue. Redberries had never tasted so wonderful.

As the goldrider began her speech about the uncomfortable situation in the infirmary, M'kel absently seated himself on his desk in front of her, within easy reach of the remaining pie. He didn't doubt in the slightest that Plianth found the dragon couch rather...constraining. She was by far the largest queen he had ever seen, although her height was not that of others. It was her rotund width, of course, and that was what would create difficulty in a dragon couch built for bronzes at their largest.

The mention of bronze weyrs got M'kel to thinking, and he swung his legs as he pondered, glancing up at the roof. "Yes, Araelen is still under construction, as you've no doubt seen, and we had a hard enough time coming up with a third queen weyr after the Hatching. Never expected two golds to come out of that egg." He shook his head at the memory, remembering with not a touch of fondness Sitareh's towering rage that night.

For some reason, his thoughts then drifted to Araelen's current Weyrlingmaster, B'kay. Perhaps it the longtime enmity between the pair that had brought him to mind, or perhaps his lingering bitterness over the fact that Syth had caught Calith in favour of his much more deserving Tirenth. Of course, M'kel had had his fun anyways, but his bronze had been deprived of a lovely night... As well, B'kay's weyr was quite high in the Bowl, which would keep Penna out of Sitareh's way quite a bit. Yes, that was the reason he had suddenly thought of that one.

"I know!" M'kel blurted suddenly, the decision firming up in his mind. "You can have B'kay's weyr. It's one of the largest for bronzes in Araelen, and it's quite high up in the Bowl, which would make take-offs much easier. " He gave Penna a knowing look, smiling to eliminate any criticism she might find in that comment. "It's not quite finished, but I can have a team of workers sent up there immediately. They should have the stairs and lift completed by tomorrow morning, as they'll be working all night. Any other changes you'd like made can also be done, just let me know!" The fact that he hadn't had that diligent team of workers sent up sooner attested to the animosity he felt for B'kay.

He relayed the message to Tirenth, who lazily informed Syth, My rider would like to inform yours that you are to have vacated your weyr by midnight. You can have the small one above the Lake. There was a reason the 'small one above the Lake' had not been filled yet. It was one of the natural caves in the Weyrbowl, but it would require a lot of work to modify it for comfortable habitation, and it was difficult to reach for stone workers and their tools. The opening was very small, demanding skillful manouvering, and the cave was full of dangerous stalagmites and stalactites, with no inner chamber for a dragonrider's room. Okay, so maybe M'kel was very bitter. The passion of that Flight would have been doubled with his dragon's participation…

His engaging smile lacked all deviousness, although there was a flicker in his bright eyes. "Would that do, dear Penna?"

[**Auria (etc)**]

Penna listened carefully as M'kel described the benefits of this new possible weyr, and relayed his thoughts to Plianth, who was currently stretched out on the floor of the bowl like a great dragon rug, taking up most of the walk-up for the kitchen caverns. The sun was luxurious right in that spot.

As her rider spoke, she lifted her head and peered across the bowl. Indeed, she could see the weyr in mention, with that dark bronze dragon lounging on the ledge. The sun looked even better up there ... and it was obvious to her that, from the weyr, she would have a direct line of sight ... and a direct dive ... to the beasthold pens.

How does that sound to you, Lovey? Penna asked, when M'kel had finished speaking.

I think that would be perfect! the great golden dragon replied, and her tongue flicked in and out as if she could taste her easily-caught breakfasts already.

Penna smiled broadly. "Plianth agrees, and so I agree as well. That sounds like a perfect spot, and Plianth shows me that the sunning ledge looks even broader than our old one at Ista. Thank you kindly, Weyrleader!"

In unison with her rider, Plianth rumbled her gratitude to Tirenth.

[B'kay]

In the aforementioned weyr, a dark rider yawned and stretched, thankful for a few hours respite from his work. He had been marking up final reports on the weyrlings, who had graduated to Senior status under his watchful eye. Though B'kay was sparing in his compliments, he was inwardly very proud of the group. The first weyrling class in generations of Pernese.....

A sudden angry rumble from the ledge stopped his thoughts cold. B'kay rushed to his dragon, to find Syth sitting upright, head raised, and eyes flashing with orange and red sparks.

What on Pern's wrong, Syth?

The dragon turned to face his rider, and his shock and indignation hit B'kay full in the chest. The rider reached outward, laid a soothing hand on the deep bronze neck.

"What!?"

We have been EVICTED!

"Evicted? Why, that's nons...."

Tirenth informs us we are to vacate by midnight and move our things to the little weyr above the lake.

There's no weyr above the lake. Just that little partially done cavern that they were planning to finish excav--

Precisely!

But the necessary isn't even fin--

And more importantly, the spot for the dragon couch has not been smoothed, it is full of rubble!

There's not even a bed or--

Syth let out a frustrated roar that echoed around the bowl!