The World of Pern(tm) is copyright to Anne McCaffrey (c) l967.
The Dragonriders of Pern(r) is a registered copyright.

This is a log of roleplay on PernMUSH, available online by permission of
Anne McCaffrey, author of the Pern novels, and recorded by A.S. Korra'ti
(piper@murkworks.net), player of Mehlani of Telgar Weyr on PernMUSH.
This log may be distributed freely as long as this header remains intact.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Log Date:
	4/13/98

Log Cast:
	(People) Mehlani, Kassima, C'vadan, Rowen, Jorenan

	(Dragons) Lysseth, Dulath

	(Fire lizards) Mehlani's fair, Kassima's fair, Vachon 

Log Intro:
	The furor appears to have blown over: rumors of Mehlani and Ro's
alledged activities when returning a drunken K'star to his weyr the night
of Leilanth's flight have died down. Ro's father, at least as far as Mehlani
is concerned, has apparently backed off from the idea of sending the two
girls to the Harper Hall -- although to Mehlani's dismay, she hasn't seen
much of her friend Ro lately at all. She also hasn't seen much of the brown
rider whose inadvertant location in her sleeping place started the whole
thing in the first place, and K'star has occupied a lot of Mehlani's 
thoughts... enough to cause a few rumors she hasn't noticed yet....

----------
Your location's current time: 16:56 on day 6, month 7, Turn 22, of the Tenth 
  Pass. It is a summer afternoon.

You enter the tunnel leading out to the steamy springs.
Telgar Hot Springs
Contents:
Kassima
Lysseth
Obvious exits:
Inner Cavern  Bowl  

A multihued flurry of fire lizards with a fedora-bearing young woman at their 
  heart makes its way into the bathing cavern. The fair is rather noisier than 
  Mehlani herself -- no surprises there. Several of them arc off to find water 
  to play in, while shy blue Brodi lingers on the lass's shoulder. 'Lani 
  pauses to consider the springs at large, perhaps trying to decide what to do 
  with herself and her robe and towel draped over her arm.

"--Blueriders out on the ledge, sixty riders of blue! You kick one down, slap 
  'em around; fifty-nine riders of blue on the ledge!" The sound of a healthy 
  set of female lungs caroling out that song identify Kassima even before one 
  can make her out atop her dragon, given her distinctive brogue and rather 
  pleasant voice... to say nothing of the tune's subject. Flitting about 
  around the half-submerged pine green dragon who currently occupies the 
  dragon pool are enough 'lizards to make a hungry wherry happy for a week. A 
  few of these dart down to wheel in circles over 'Lani's head, chirpling 
  bright greetings to the girl and her fair.

Mehlani can be heard to giggle. She tilts her head and the hat upon it back 
  slightly, as her own eight and their tagalong companion Vachon greet the 
  horde of 'lizards already on hand. "Hello there," 'Lani murmurs to the 
  winged things filling the air.

Alert to the changed cries of her pets, Kassi carefully turns 
  about--carefully, because it'd be easy to slip on Lysseth's sand-covered 
  back--and waves one dripping hand 'Lani-wards. The greenrider is dressed in 
  her usual swimming cut-offs, looking as though she'd be more in place on the 
  shores of Boll than here. "Afternoon, 'Lani!" she breaks off her song to 
  call. "I hope m'singing didn't frighten you. I've heard some find it 
  downright terrifying."

"You sing very nicely," Mehlani replies, meaning it. She shooes off several of 
  her own 'lizards -- the greens, Elsi, Wili, and Rianet, appear to all be in 
  fine moods today, and eager to gossip with Kassi's own greens. 'Lani adds, 
  with something suspiciously like humor though her solemn young face doesn't 
  alter, "I'm not a blue rider, soooo...."

Rhiannon, Zhailene, Kitrine, and Kasylum are all more than willing to chatter 
  with Mehlani's fair, though Elentari and Kodachi appear otherwise occupied 
  at the moment. The blues, of course, find an excuse to perch themselves near 
  the gathering of greens and puff up their chests. Yep, there are definitely 
  similarities between males, regardless of species. "You've nay need t'fear 
  being kicked off a ledge any time soon," Kassi supplies with a hint of merry 
  laughter. Drills must have gone exceptionally well today for the rider to be 
  in such a mood as this. "For the compliment, I thank you. Here t'be giving 
  your swarm a scrubbing? If'n so, and you'd like help, ask Lyss. She's become 
  a champion catcher of unruly fire-lizards."

Mehlani bobs her head earnestly, calling up, "Them... and me... do you need 
  any help with Lysseth?" Her voice rings out soft and clear -- the acoustics 
  in here _are_ rather fine.

Kassima slides down to a seat on her dragon's sandy back, toying with the end 
  of her thoroughly-mussed braid. "To tell the truth, Lyss is usually a bit 
  uneasy about others washing her... but it's been a long day; I could use the 
  help--and with the Lady Lump asleep, the company too. If'n you truly 
  wouldn't mind, then I'd certes welcome the help. I'll explain it to her if'n 
  she stirs."

Mehlani nods, again gravely, taking the time to lay down her burdens. Off 
  comes her hat, and after a shy glance around the cavern, so do her clothes, 
  revealing a curvy young form which she promptly covers up again with her 
  bathing shift.
Mehlani then clambers down into the water, smiling a little as she regards the 
  sleeping dragon. Several of her fair follow her, though green Arki crawls in 
  under the lass's abandoned hat, to lurk there with nothing visible of her 
  but her eyes, peeking out.

"Good t'see someone else around here has sense," is all Kassi quips about the 
  shift. From where she's carefully lodged it near one of Lyss's neckridges, 
  the greenrider picks up a large jar of sweetsand. "Both of her wings and 
  flanks need t'be done yet, and I prefer t'use this on the sails unless 
  there's dirt that really needs a tough scrubbing. Lyss thinks I'm a bit 
  silly for it, but since it doesn't seem t'do any harm, I figure, why nay?" 
  She steps cautiously over to lay the jar on one of Lysseth's extended wings, 
  not far from the shoulder joint. The green is submerged enough that no part 
  of her will be much of a stretch to scrub. "How've those 'lizards of yours 
  been faring? They certes look hale enough."

'Lani glances down at her bathing garb and just smiles timidly, a hint of a 
  blush suggesting that she's got other reasons aside from sense to not to 
  want to go entirely unclad when she does her bathing. She nods gravely as 
  the rider expounds upon the scrubbing situation at hand, and as she joins 
  Kassima, she murmurs softly in reply to her final question, "They are all 
  doing well, and Arki is behaving." Blue eyes send their regard moving about 
  the dragon, as 'Lani visually takes in the sight of wet green hide.

Kassima nods, holding out one of her hands--a hand which is soon filled by 
  clumps of wet sand, dropped there by 'lizards who are well-familiar with the 
  scrubbing game. "She's the one who bites, isn't she? She sounds something 
  like Darvan and Koreyn." Those would likely be the two blues, one dark and 
  one brighter, who are perched on Lysseth's head so as to be able to glower 
  down at everything they see. Most of this consists of wet dragonhide indeed: 
  rich, dusky pine green, covered by a thin coat of grey that looks for all 
  the world like dust, is further adorned by streaks of sand and suds. The 
  effect might seem comical to one not used to draconic bathing rituals.

Mehlani nods gravely to Kassi once more, then turns to fetch up some sand of 
  her own. Holl and Vachon have apparently anticipated her on this, or at 
  least have watched Kassi's fair doing it with their human and decided it's a 
  fun game. Duly prepared, the girl turns to begin on a stretch of Lysseth's 
  hide, keeping her touch firm and gentle.

C'vadan walks in from outside the room.
C'vadan has arrived.

Dulath flies over the edges of rock and lands on the far end of the springs.
Dulath has arrived.

There's a faint rumbling from Lysseth's throat as the scrubbing continues, and 
  her long, rather sinuous tail lashes idly in the water... but she does not 
  wake. Kassi attacks a green neckridge with a vigorous hand, whistling the 
  refrain of 'One-Hundred Blueriders Out On the Ledge' again. "Have things 
  been going better for you where those rumors are concerned?" she asks 
  Mehlani quietly, just as Cav walks in. Her voice raises to greet him with a 
  more conversational, "Evening, Cav, Dulath--is it scrubbing-time for the 
  pair of you too?"

Near Kassima and Lysseth, a Mehlani clad in nothing but a light bathing shift, 
  and accordingly all slender arms and long young legs and water-darkened 
  auburn hair to a viewer's casual inspection, might be spotted. The girl can 
  be seen to blush anew at Kassima's inqury, but she nods a little, before 
  C'vadan and Dluath's arrival distracts her. She glances up and gives the 
  brown dragon a rather wide soft smile, and an only slightly smaller one for 
  his rider.

C'vadan smiles and waves. "Nope, just trying to hide out somewhere Ursa isn't 
  likely to look." He kicks off one boot. "At least as long as she knows where 
  Emlyn is. How are you both?"

Dulath slides into the dragon pool.

"I am doing better," is Mehlani's succint, soft reply, as she sets to 
  scrubbing Lysseth's sleeping green form once more. Her fair sets off a 
  flurry of greetings to C'vadan and Dulath, or at least, the visible seven of 
  that fair.

Kassima scrubs her sandy hands off on her blue cut-off slacks, abandoning the 
  thoroughly scrubbed neckridge for another. "Well enough, well enough, and 
  thankee for the asking. Drills went quite well today, with Alymbrith finally 
  cleared by the dragonhealers... though now Guarith's missing in his place. 
  Such is the way of things. Why're you hiding from Ursa?" The rider waves 
  cheerfully to Dulath also, before settling back down before a patch of hide 
  that has yet to be given the sanding treatment. "Has Ro also been doing 
  better, 'Lani?"

Dulath whuffles gently at Lysseth and Mehlani.

Mehlani considers Kassima's question, her face falling slightly. She finally 
  murmurs, "I have not seen Ro much... I... think her father is still making 
  her spend her free time in his weyr so that he can watch over her."

C'vadan pulls off the rest of his clothes and slips into the water.
C'vadan slides into a hot spring.
C'vadan settles in and then says, "I'm not really hiding. Just using that as 
  an excuse." As if this workaholic rider would ever shirk any duties.

Lysseth still does not awaken, indolent creature that she is; nevertheless, a 
  single twitch of her extended wingtips suggests that she noticed the 
  greeting on some subconscious level. "Mmm. That's nay a good thing," Kassi 
  replies, brushing a wayward tendril of hair back out of her face. "At least 
  he's nay yet made good on his threat t'be sending her away." Thinking over 
  what Cav said, she adds another query to her first: "Why shouldn't she know 
  where Emlyn is?" The greenrider's just a bundle of questions tonight, isn't 
  she? "Ah, right. Any excuse for a good soaking, so long as the duties are 
  done--*that*, I can understand."

C'vadan takes in everything Kassima says, processes it, manages not to be drug 
  under the water from the volume and then responds to the question posed to 
  him. "She always seems to want to talk to both her Wingseconds is all."

'Lani just nods slowly to Kassi, her blue eyes turning troubled, as she 
  politely lets the green rider divide her attention between her and C'vadan. 
  The girl's earlier relaxed expression has faded down to a frown, however, 
  and she lowers her gaze to the work at hand.

Kassima isn't actually yelling, though her voice echoes clearly enough in the 
  cavern. To this latest piece of information, she once again nods. "Makes 
  sense," she observes. "I speak with Jal about Wing business when there's 
  need, though only then. Perhaps I'll plague the life out of both of 'em once 
  I've decided on a second. How've you and Tria been faring? Both still 
  healthy, happy, and hip-deep in those wonderful pies of your mother's?" 
  Chewing on her upper lip for a moment as she worries at a particularly 
  stubborn smudge on Lysseth's dark hide, she casts an inscrutable glance at 
  'Lani. "Neither Kiat nor your father have spoken about the matter at all?"

Mehlani peeks over at Kassima and admits, blushing pinkly, "Father _did_ send 
  me a letter..."

"Any news?" Kassi inquires.

The girl chews at her lower lip, blinks her blue eyes musingly, and finally 
  clarifies, "He told me he spit his klah across the table, and then he went 
  on to ask, 'Well, did you _WANT_ this brown rider in your bed, hatchlet?'"

C'vadan grabs on for dear life, though under the water, so he looks completely 
  calm on the surface. "News?" he asks, eyes half-lidded.

Kassima leans back against her elbow for a moment, absently flicking sand off 
  of her fingers. "I can just see him spewing klah," she laughs. "The Caverns' 
  lasses must've been surprised t'see him so undignified, though! Leave it to 
  F'hlan nay t'panic until he asked that question." She turns her head, then, 
  to nod to Cav. "Had you nay heard of the various brownrider-related 
  incidents hereabouts lately?"

Mehlani smiles tinily, but she also blushes rather more brightly. Holl, 
  winging over to circle twice over her head before perching on the edge of 
  the pool nearby, croons.

Kassima tries a less blushworthy subject, while making her way over towards 
  Lysseth's flanks. "Did he send any word of that latest spawnling of his?"

"Harlan is growing well," murmurs Mehlani shyly, "and has lots of black curly 
  hair like his mother."

C'vadan chuckles softly. "I don't know how you keep up with them all, Mehlani."

Mehlani gives Cav another shy little smile, and admits, "It's... not any 
  harder than keeping track of fire lizards."

C'vadan ahs and nods. "I grew up with my four brothers. Made it easy to keep 
  track."

"Just be glad you don't have eight kids, Cav, or you'd have t'keep track of so 
  many too. Me, I'm content for the nonce with my two." Kassi slides down into 
  the water with a resounding splash, swimming over to the areas on Lysseth's 
  right flank that are most in need of scrubbing.

'Lani gets back to working at the task at hand, still managing to smile a 
  little, but the blush lingers about her cheeks. So does an abstracted look 
  in her eyes, hinting that half her thoughts are elsewhere. Holl and Rianet 
  both give the girl a few croons, watching her almost knowingly, as if 
  they've grown familiar with their young human's thoughts wandering away with 
  her.

Kassima cranes her neck to peer up at 'Lani, one eyebrow arched in silent 
  query. "You're doing well up there," is all she says, though. "Lyss may 
  unbend enough to let others aid with her washing more often, henceforth. 
  Hey, Cav, a question: is Tria's Turnday already past? She said last Turn 
  that the register was off, but I forget which way 'twas that 'twas wrong."

C'vadan nods. "Almost a sevenday ago."

'Lani, oddly enough, doesn't seem to hear Kassima's called compliment; the 
  girl's gotten a rather wistful expression on her face, a strange look 
  somewhere between smile and frown lingering along her lips. Holl notices, 
  though, and he croons to Kassi, his eyes whirling blue.

C'vadan adds, "Caidan turns five in a couple of sevendays." Where does the 
  time go?

Kassima winces at that. "Shells and shards, I'll have t'hop to in getting her 
  a gift, then. Five, already?" That elicits a blink. "Aye, it does; hard 
  enough to believe that Khari's one, and Kay halfway to four, but it still 
  seems Caidan should be younger than five. How is it that life slips by so, 
  even when all the days are so full?" She smiles up at Mehlani's bronze, 
  nodding to him once before eyeing his mistress speculatively... perhaps 
  considering whether or not to ask what that wistful look is all about.
Kassima dives under the water, swimming under her dragon to reach the green's 
  other side. Resurfacing, she shakes the water back out of her eyes before 
  waving to the departing Cav. "Y'know, 'Lani, people have been noticing that 
  you daydream a lot lately," she remarks conversationally as she attacks the 
  left flank.

Evidently oblivious to the conversation ongoing between Cav and Kassi -- well, 
  mostly oblivious; the passing mention of young Caidan's age does coax an 
  absentminded smile out of her -- 'Lani keeps working, making slow but 
  determined progress around Lysseth's side. She doesn't answer immediately, 
  and only when Holl abruptly lets out a clear, clarion bugle does 'Lani jump, 
  her head snapping around. "Wh-what?"

Kassima chuckles under her breath, peering up from under a straggle of 
  waterlogged black bangs. "'Twas merely mentioning that the gossips have 
  noticed how much you've been daydreaming lately. You may want t'be careful, 
  or Tria might assume you're dreaming of being a Herder and set t'recruiting 
  you again."

"Oh, no, I haven't been daydreaming," Mehlani pipes earnestly, "I've been 
  thinking." Apparently she believes there's a difference. But at least now, 
  she's also paying attention, though she takes a moment to glance around and 
  inwardly wonder where C'vadan went.

Kassima tilts her head slightly. "As you'd have it. Faranth knows, there're 
  plenty of things in the world t'think about. Life, the world, everything in 
  it...." She scrambles back up her dragon's leg, as agile at this task as any 
  tree-climbing creature of Pern.

Mehlani hastily bobs her head in agreement, arranging her features in her best 
  solemn expression. "Yes," she agrees, but that's a trifle hasty, too.

"Which of those things," Kassi would naturally have to ask, "has caught at 
  your thoughts, then? The life of a trundlebug? The reasons that there are 
  stars? What it might be like if'n we all lived under the sea rather than on 
  land?" Count on Kassi to ponder such obscure matters.

"Umm...." Mehlani's young face does flare with momentary interest at those 
  weighty thoughts, but just as quickly, it flares with another blush as well. 
  She dips her head and murmurs sheepishly, "Not... exactly..."

Kassima does her best to hide her smile. "A certain lad or two, then?" she 
  hazards.

Mehlani promptly turns crimson, opens her mouth, closes it again, and finally 
  settles for bobbing her head in mute bashfulness.

Kassima shoots another look 'Lani's way, though this is a bit of a difficult 
  prospect given that she's trying her best to clean the undersides of 
  Lysseth's wings without waking the dragon. "Naught t'be going red about, 
  y'know," she says, her voice a bit muffled by the green wing under which 
  she's partially hidden. "Most lasses your age do, I should wager. Half don't 
  think of aught *else*. If'n I hadn't had Lyss by the time 'twas your age, 
  mayhaps I'd have been the same. As 'twas, there was little thought for aught 
  besides training. Y'know how that goes." Never mind that this doesn't 
  explain why Kassi's still said not to think of men in that fashion much, or 
  women either for that matter. "Besides, given that they're certes doing all 
  they can t'make sure you think of 'em...."

Mehlani considers all this, and bursts out plaintively, "I... I can't _stop_ 
  thinking about... um... him!" There's a soft flurry of croons from her fair. 
  The fire lizards, it seems, suspect who she's talking about.

"Do you *want* to?" Kassi asks quietly, with a hint of sympathy.

_That_ seems to catch the girl by surprise. Mehlani's eyes widen, and then she 
  blushes again, though it's only pink this time, rather than red. And from 
  the look of her, she's more amazed than embarrassed. She glances out around 
  the cavern, perhaps momentarily afraid that she'll be overheard, before she 
  wades over closer to the green rider and confesses shyly, "I like thinking 
  about him..." Her voice comes out of her very small.

Small voice or not, Kassi still hears... and she nods, amazingly, in 
  understanding. "I know what you mean," she says in a voice nearly as quiet. 
  "'Tis a natural thing. I suspect if'n he were asked, he'd say he likes 
  thinking of you, too."

Mehlani confides wide-eyedly, "He says... he says he dreams about me."

Rowen walks in from outside the room.
Rowen has arrived.

Kassima nibbles on her lower lip for a moment, thinking. "I'd say that likely 
  means he certes cares for you. Now, mind, I'm nay about t'start playing 
  matchmaker--that's *nay* m'game, and relationships are hardly m'strong point 
  t'begin with. But... have you considered talking to him about this?" Her 
  voice, pitched low, is apt to be no more than a scarcely audible murmur--one 
  that's barely discernable behind the bulk of her sleeping dragon.

Rowen slips into the springs, dismissing the murmur of voices as she slips out 
  of her clothes and heads for the water.

The springs are full of fire lizards, and visible among them are the green 
  form of Lysseth, along with the smaller forms of Lysseth's rider and young 
  Mehlani. The latter, younger female murmurs anxiously to the older, "Yes... 
  many times, these last few days...!"

Jorenan walks in from outside the room.
Jorenan has arrived.
Jorenan trudges in, towel over his shoulder and no shirt on. He pauses and 
  blinks. "Oh," he says. "Err. I didn't think anyone would be here. Sorry."

Indeed, several people and creatures are here -- Rowen, green Lysseth, a 
  veritable cloud of several hues of fire lizards. Near the dragon, Mehlani 
  and Lysseth's rider can be glimpsed. 'Lani is clad only in her bathing 
  shift, a fair amount of young leg visible where she's standing in the water, 
  and a few curves of her young form. Her head snaps round at the sound of 
  Jorenan's voice, and she blushes at him, but also offers a small unsure 
  smile.

"Well, will you?" Kassi next wants to know, ducking briefly under the 
  charcoal-green expanse of one wing to swim over to the other side. She 
  wiggles her fingers absently at the newcomers as she reemerges in a better 
  position to see them. The greenrider herself is garbed as modestly as 'Lani, 
  more or less, in a pair of cut-offs and a cropped top that are mostly hidden 
  by the water. An overly-modest greenrider? There really may be a first time 
  for everything.

Mehlani is still blushing, and as she tugs her gaze away from Jorenan, she 
  tells Kassima in a soft uncertain tone, "I... don't know... he's been 
  avoiding me...!" Then she peeks back at Jorenan. "It's... alright," she 
  calls over to him.

Kassima quirks a slight smile, humor glinting in her dark green eyes. "Let's 
  assume for a moment that two friends of yours had gotten you so drunk that 
  you couldn't tell up from down, then stowed you in Kes's weyr. Let's further 
  assume that he found you there, and that you made a fool of yourself--or so 
  you see it as--while he was trying t'get you out. Last, let's assume that 
  the rumors started up by this incident caused Kes t'suffer a measure of 
  ignonimy. Would you want t'face him again, thinking yourself surely shamed 
  in his eyes--whether or nay that's actually the case?"

'Lani dips her gaze down, chewing at her lower lip again, and she gravely 
  shakes her head.

"Then you see his position." Kassi climbs out from under the wing, her hair a 
  mess of sweetsand suds. "He'll nay come t'you, and you'll have t'be canny 
  t'catch him. I can't really tell you what approach would be best. You might 
  ask M'kla, though, or another woman more experienced at charming men than I."

Mehlani immediately turns crimson once more, blurting with a sidelong sheepish 
  glance to Jorenan's shirtless figure, "I-I really don't want to... well... I 
  just... I don't want him to be scared of me... I..." Flustered, 'Lani takes 
  a few steps back in the pool, more or her turning red, now. And when had 
  Kassima figured out exactly who is under discussion, anyway?

Considering the grist that the rumor-mill is grinding these days, and that 
  Kassi's likely not above cajoling her cousins to learn the truth, it's not 
  particularly difficult to conclude that she indeed knows whom and what she's 
  speaking of. "I don't think he's scared of *you*, 'Lani. 'Tis more like he's 
  scared of what you think of him now... or so I'd be guessing. He wants your 
  liking, friendship, and respect at least; I can't blame him for worrying 
  that he may have lost all three." She grins a bit. "A'course, that's only 
  m'theory based on an objective perspective."

Jorenan has paused, listening to Kassi and Mehlani's conversation. He's 
  noticed Mehlani's crimson features, but something in the conversation holds 
  him there nevertheless.

Mehlani blinks, and then blurts plaintively, curling her arms around her slim 
  damp form and watching Kassi, "Well, of _course_ I like and respect... he's 
  my friend, and..." She blushes yet again, her gaze plummeting to the water, 
  flicking back and forth between the green rider and the Bakerlad. 
  Apparently, Mehlani has definitely been thrown off stride by Jorenan's 
  arrival, not to mention his lingering in earshot. Far less unnerved than 
  their young human, Holl, Rianet, and Enri all chirrup in cheerful greeting 
  at Jorenan, and Elsi flitters over to him, cooing prettily.

Kassima pushes gently down on Lysseth's wing to force it under the water, 
  where the suds are rinsed away with a bit of help from greenriding hands. 
  "If'n you like," she offers, "I could tell him that. But I don't promise 
  that he'll take it from me."

Jorenan gives Elsi a grin and a scritch, if she settles nearby. "Hullo," he 
  says to her quietly. He gives Mehlani another thoughtful look, and then 
  strips down to the point where he can climb into the water. The conversation 
  about Kes, well, that he just lets continue.

Elsi is a horrible flirt, and she not only settles nearby, but clambers into 
  the water to float right near the young man, within range of more scritches. 
  Mehlani, in the meantime, blushes pinkly, and seems to have discovered 
  something fascinating to stare at about her sand-covered hands, which she 
  wrings before her. "I... I should talk to him," she whispers timidly. "A-ask 
  him to meet me, maybe....? A-at dinner?"

Kassima leans against her lifemate's warm side, fingers playing idly over the 
  freshly cleaned length of wingsail. "I doubt he'd refuse you. He might be 
  uncomfortable, but I honestly can't see him refusing you."

Jorenan sinks into the water and relaxes for a long few minutes. Elsi gets 
  some lazy scritches, but mostly he just floats with his eyes closed. He 
  drifts, perhaps intentionally, a bit further from Kassi and Mehlani. 
  Unfortunately, there isn't much way to get out of earshot in this quiet 
  evening.

Mehlani bobs her head, all too clearly nervous, and she murmurs hurriedly, 
  "I... I will send him a note, I guess... and just ask him to find me... I-I 
  won't say more than that in the note... it'd be better if I-I said it..." 
  She then clamps her mouth shut, deciding she's babbling, and she finishes 
  with a sorrowful, "I-is Lysseth alright now, do you think?"

"She's all right," Kassi assures the younger woman. "She'll just rest and soak 
  it off now. Thankee most kindly for your aid, 'Lani."

Mehlani nods, rapidly, seven or eight times. Obviously flustered now, all she 
  says is a soft, "Y-you're welcome," as she whirls about to seize on the 
  nearest distraction -- her fire lizards, which still need scrubbing 
  attention as well. 'Lani wades over to the clustered creatures, settling 
  down into the pool, and picking a flit at random to begin scrubbing. Brown 
  Munki, her choice, croons his approval.

Jorenan finally seems to think he's relaxed long enough. He sits up and takes 
  up enough sand to begin scrubbing himself down. Elsi gets some sand, too, 
  long as she's right there. The Baker gives Mehlani a glance and a smile when 
  he realizes she's doing the same.

Kassima starts to unbraid the royal wreck of her hair, her practiced fingers 
  unwinding the unruly locks with only just enough pull to make her grimace a 
  touch from time to time. She sets with good industry to clean herself now 
  that her dragon has been tended to, humming the undying classic 'What Do You 
  Do With a Drunken Rider?' "Lift up his kilt and see what's under, lift up 
  his kilt and see what's under, lift up his kilt and see what's under, ear-ly 
  in the morning!" Thankfully, her voice is soft enough to carry only a few 
  feet.

Elsi is _quite_ approving of Jorenan's attentions to her hide; Wili, 
  apparently jealous that the other green is getting all the attention, 
  promptly flitters over to Jorenan as well, and croons hopefully. 'Lani 
  starts to glance Jorenan's way, when Kassima's new song choice makes her 
  yelp. Actually yelp. "Kas-SI!", she yelps, aghast.

Jorenan jumps at Mehlani's yelp; he's heard that song so many times that it 
  never occured to him to actually listen to what the words of that particular 
  verse were. When he re-runs them in his head, he laughs very quietly. He 
  gives Wili a scritch and a promise, and then returns to really scrub her 
  once he's done Elsi thoroughly.

Kassima blinks, startled into pausing her vigorous hair-washing. "What?" she 
  asks, baffled. "Would you rather I sang the verse about the rusty 
  knife-blade?"

"I... I mean... never mind," Mehlani babbles, blushing scarlet, and hastily 
  diverting her attention to scrubbing the poor, equally confused Munki.

Jorenan is decently covered in plenty of water, but he still winces at the 
  thought of the rusty knife blade verse. He, too, leans close to a firelizard 
  he's scrubbing. The comedy of the situation soon has his lips twitching, 
  though.

Kassima continues to look confused, but obediantly moves on to the green 
  dragon verse: "Way, hey, and up she rises, ear-ly in the morning!" One has 
  to wonder just how many verses of this particular song there *are*. 
  Certainly enough for her to keep singing for awhile.

Mehlani slowly subsides from scarlet down to rose down to a light pink, and as 
  the blush drains out of her cheeks, the lass proceeds from scrubbing Munki 
  to scrubbing bemused little blue Brodi. She doesn't offer any further 
  commentary on Kassima's singing, or, for that matter, anything else; it 
  seems to be taking a lot of the girl's mental faculties to regain her 
  composure.

As if Kassi's singing weren't bad enough--and it's not *bad*, per se, but 
  she's now moved on to what's affectionately termed the greenrider verse: 
  "Ask him what the shells his name was, ear-ly in the morning!"--her 'lizards 
  have now started to hum along in twelve-part harmony. Still singing quite, 
  quite cheerfully, she dunks under the water to rinse out the soap-filled 
  beehive her hair has become.

Okay, _that_ makes Mehlani return to blushing rose again. Trying to hide her 
  blush, she splashes her face; since it's hot water, she manages to make much 
  of the rest of her red, too.

Jorenan finishes scrubbing the second of Mehlani's greens and goes back to 
  scrubbing his own hide. He scratches an ear and gives Mehlani a thoughtful 
  grin, but wisely stays silent. Or perhaps he's just not got anything useful 
  to say.

"Then ask him just where his clothes went, ear-ly in the morning," floats out 
  from behind Lyss, where Kassi has resurfaced and is now trying, sans 
  success, to shoo the 'lizards away from her own clothes. She's quite 
  oblivious to 'Lani's blush, of course, or she'd be sticking to the milder 
  verses. Maybe.

"Um..." Mehlani mumbles this, then squeaks out, "Holl?!" a beat after Kassi 
  warbles about bed partners without clothing. The loyal bronze promptly wings 
  down to have his turn at being scrubbed, but 'Lani succeeds in knocking over 
  the jar of sweetsand she'd brought in with her, sending 'lizards scurrying.

Kassima climbs out of the spring and starts rummaging through her belt-pouch, 
  hunting for her comb. "Something wrong, 'Lani?" she calls without looking 
  up. The singing torment seems to be mostly over. Maybe, just maybe, she ran 
  out of verses.

Mehlani swiftly, if shakily, shakes her head back and forth as she scrambles 
  out of the pool and tries to clean up her mess. Attracted by the sand, half 
  her fair flutters over to do their part, which unfortunately means that the 
  sand gets rather more scattered.

Jorenan watches Mehlani for a moment, and then says, "You're welcome to use 
  mine. That lot's hopeless now." Presumably he means the sweetsand, and not 
  the firelizard. Or the bedpartners.

Kassima finally locates her silver comb, and starts pulling it through the 
  tangled mess of her knee-length black hair. "As you will, then," she 
  replies, still a touch confused but willing to ignore the fact while 
  preoccupied with her hair.

Mehlani bobs her head to Jorenan nervously, finally risking a glance in his 
  direction, and she mumbles out timidly, "Th-thank you..."

Jorenan goes close enough to push his sweetsand to where Mehlani can reach it, 
  and keeps scrubbing. Apparently his fingernails were particularly grimy.

Kassima pauses in her industrious hair-pulling to actually tug on her clothes, 
  *over* the sopping wet short pants and shirt combination she wears for 
  swimming. Now there's modesty bordering on contrariness for you. Once she's 
  once again fully clothed, and the comb is stuck in her hair, she picks up 
  Lysseth's straps and slings them over her shoulder. "I'm going t'let Lyss 
  sleep for a bit. Clear skies, you two--and thanks again, 'Lani."

Mehlani bobbobs her head at Kassima, glancing in the woman's direction as she 
  goes. Jorenan's sweetsand is silently accepted, the girl sneaking a grateful 
  peek at him for his largesse.

Jorenan watches Kassi ready to leave and blinks a couple of times. Then he 
  says, "Good evening to you, Kassi."

Kassima wiggles her fingers at the pair, then exits, still singing. "Ask him 
  where the shells *your* clothes are, ear-ly in the morning!" echoes back 
  after her.
Kassima walks off towards the Inner Cavern.
Kassima has left.

Mehlani can be heard, at _that_ exit, to make another small odd noise. Almost 
  a strangled cough.

Jorenan gets mildly paranoid at that, and starts looking to see if his clothes 
  -are- still where he left them. "Kassi," he says, "has an odd sense of 
  humor."

Mehlani bobs her head nervously, not daring to speak, though she glances again 
  at Jorenan as he does.

Jorenan comes to the conclusion that his clothes are apparently still safe, 
  and sinks back down into the water. He glances at Mehlani, and apparently 
  notes her nervousness. "Uhm," he comments. Brilliant. He shakes his head at 
  himself. "Mehlani, am I making you nervous?"

Mehlani doesn't answer that immediately, but the furrowing of her brow and the 
  re-pinkening of her cheeks indicate she definitely heard the question. 
  Finally, she peeks up from her Holl-scrubbing task to murmur timidly, "I-I 
  was already nervous when you came in here..."

Jorenan cocks his head. Perhaps he realizes this avoids answering the 
  question. He sits up and ends up a bit closer to Mehlani, sliding on to a 
  seat carved into the side of the pool. "You were?" he asks. "Because of Kes?"

Mehlani chews her lower lip, and then hesitantly bobs her head, which makes 
  Holl peer up at her and croon.

Jorenan huhs. He gives Mehlani room to express herself without embarassing 
  herself furhter, as well as he can, by acting entirely normal. And by 
  continuing to work on cleaning his nails, which must have truly been filthy. 
  "You haven't talked to him, huh? You both must be pretty embarassed. It gets 
  worse, you know, the longer you wait."

Mehlani does look up, then, to blurt, "I wasn't embarrassed... I mean... not 
  about _K'star_. He didn't do anything really embarrassing!"

Jorenan looks up at Mehlani in some surprise. "Err. Not K'star? Oh. I 
  thought..." He pauses, and then frowns. "Then what were you embarassed 
  about?"

"Well... I... I mean... he didn't do anything... that night, you know?" 'Lani 
  explains hesitantly. "He was just a little drunk, is all..." She ducks her 
  gaze again, peeking down at Holl, who peeks back up at her.

Jorenan nods. "So you weren't embarassed about him himself. But you were still 
  embarassed before. About that whole situation, or something else entirely?" 
  He gives a green who's come up a scritch and a bit of a scrubbing. It croons 
  and seems to more or less appreciate the attention.

"Well.... Kes... hasn't... talked to me at all since then," Mehlani explains 
  in soft doleful tones. "That's what Kassi and I were talking about... I 
  expect he must be awfully embarrassed, because of how he acted...."

Jorenan considers that. "So... you were embarassed because you think he'd be 
  embarrassed? Or, hmm. Because I came over and heard the conversation?" Well, 
  so he's not completely dense, anyway. But perhaps mostly.

Mehlani is beginning to look flustered again, and she shifts uncomfortably in 
  the pool, getting out to sit on the edge; Holl and several of the rest of 
  her fair linger near her, competing for her attentions, though Elsi and Wili 
  are stoically remaining near Jorenan. "I... well... I-I think... h-h-he said 
  some things he probably wouldn't have said if he hadn't been drunk. P... 
  private things. And I..." Looking troubled, 'Lani peeks over at the young 
  man, and then finishes, "I-I guess... I-I-I-I hadn't expected you to come 
  in... it's just that... I need to tell Kes.... that he doesn't need to be 
  embarrassed... does... does that make sense?" Looking horribly uncomfortable 
  now, the girl manages to keep her gaze on Jorenan, her gaze full of pleading 
  for understanding.

Jorenan considers Mehlani, her stammering explanation, and the way she looks 
  ready to flee out into the cool summer evening. "Mehlani," he says quietly, 
  "you don't have to be afraid of me, you know. I understand." He takes a deep 
  breath, looks up at the stars, and lets the breath out again. "He likes you, 
  I suspect. It's only natural. You're decidedly likable. I'm sorry if you 
  couldn't tell Kassi about it while I was here." He pauses, and then looks at 
  her directly. "I... like you pretty well, too, but I'm not going to try to 
  make you pick between us or anything stupid like that. I'm your friend, I 
  hope, before anything else."

'Lani blinks a few times, apparently struck by Jorenan's steady declarations. 
  Then, her blue eyes noticeably soften, and she just stares at the young man 
  for a moment, before abruptly rising from her seat at the pool's edge. She 
  crosses the small distance between them, then kneels down next to him in the 
  water, and throws her wet arms around his neck. Hugging him with a strength 
  perhaps surprising for her slender frame, she breathes, "Thank you...!" Her 
  fair all rouse up at this, chittering in varying tones of approval; even 
  Arki peers out from her hiding place under 'Lani's hat on the stone floor 
  not too far away.

Jorenan freezes for an instant, surprise evident in the sudden motionlessness 
  of his frame. Then he returns the hug just as tightly, and chuckles. "You're 
  welcome, Mehlani. Welcome and then some." He keeps his tone light and even, 
  though if she could hear his heart, she would suspect that evenness of voice 
  would be envied by most Harpers. He doesn't seem all that interested in 
  letting go, either, but lightens up the embrace enough that she can let go 
  should she so desire.

The lass does pull back, but as she does, she gives Jorenan a shy soft smile, 
  the warmth of which she's very likely unaware. Her eyes' blue depths have 
  lit up, and she murmurs earnestly, "Thank you... for understanding... and 
  being my friend!" She rises then, wading shyly back, the smile lingering as 
  she moves to climb out of the pool. As she begisn to gather up her things, 
  her fair roused by her activity, she concludes softly, "I should go..."

Jorenan remains in the pool, his grin just beginning to show. "You're 
  welcome," he says quietly. "Very welcome." He nods, though, understanding 
  that not only does she have things to do, she likely has things to think 
  about as well. "I'll see you soon, Mehlani." And the grin breaks out into 
  full form.

'Lani dries off, then wraps a robe about her frame, over the still-damp shift 
  she'd been wearing in the pool. Her hat is plucked up, despite the 
  disgruntled soft hiss from Arki when her hiding place goes away; Arki 
  herself is gently scooped up and placed on Mehlani's shoulder. Then, her 
  drier clothes bundled over her arm, her towel drapped over the shoulder 
  Arki's not on, and the hat on her head, the girl gives Jorenan one last 
  smile... and is then gone.

Jorenan sinks back into the pool, a bemused, thoughtful expression on his face.

[End log.]