Acquainted with the hallways

[darkwanderer]

Miros nodded quickly, detaching himself from the wall and adopting the same hunched walk that Svak was now employing. The more he concentrated on not making noise, the more he seemed to make! Twice on the journey to the Bowl he barked his shins and hissed in pain and the pair had frozen both times waiting for the alarm to be raised. When silence prevailed, they moved on. When they reached the bowl they had to pause. In order to reach the kitchen (and there abouts the pantry) they had to cross the bowl. It was a wide space, dimly lit at this time and it's walls were pocked with the entrances to the weyrs, where the adult Dragons now slumbered. If they disturbed any of these sleeping beasts, their riders would be soon to know. With a quiver Miros began to doubt their plan. If they were caught...Before he could worry more, Svak was moving stealthily around the perimeter of the Bowl towards the corridor that led down to the kitchens. With a gulp Miros followed, painfully aware of his fumbling steps.

[Void]

This is a lot harder in a Weyr. Svak thought. In a Hold there was usually just the watch dragon and you knew where he was at all times. Here? They were all over the place and she had absolutely no idea where they were. Hopefully they were all to tired or just didn't care if they saw her and Miros. Miros was becoming quieter all the time with his walking, a fast improver. She herself at one point kicked a rock and it skidded into the middle of the Bowl. She stopped breathing and she swore her heart stopped until she was able to breath again. Stone, something else she wasn't used to moving across. Grass and dirt was what she was used to.

They were making good time across the Bowl which seemed to never end like it expanded at night to a huge size now that it was empty of the usual bustle and talk it was filled with during the day. They were close now, almost to the kitchen and the destination of food.

[darkwanderer]

Miros suddenly grabbed onto Svak's arm and pulled her to a stop. Before she could question him, she saw him pointing upwards. She trained her gaze upon the same spot as his and saw the huge, wedge shaped head of a Dragon peering out of it's personal weyr. The pair froze to the spot in terror. The Dragon's glowing eyes swept a small portion of the Bowl floor, but didn't focus on the two slinky shadows. With a yawn and a grumpy "harumph" the Dragon tucked it's head back against it's side and went back to sleep,
"That was close" Miros murmured, releasing Svak's arm.

[Void]

"Thanks" she barely breathed after the dragon's head faded back into the shadows. She continued on slower and more cautious pace than before. They neared the kitchen and she softly ran the last little bit slinking into the darkness inside pausing in the darker room to adjust to the shadows.

Yes! They made it! She allowed herself a mental celebration as she waited for Miros. This was his area of expertise now. He knew the layout of the kitchen better than she did. She turned to him and grinned. "Your turn."

[darkwanderer]

Miros nodded to her and beckoned her to follow him,
"It's towards the back, the door is hidden behind one of the stoves" Miros whispered. Svak nodded and kept close. The pair crept into the kitchen and began to slink across the room. In the dark the fittings looked eerie to Miros, as he'd only ever seen them ablaze in the middle of the day. Svak was sticking close to him and he was glad for her presence. He reached out and felt for the stove towards the back of the room. To the right of it was the doorway that led down a set of stairs into the pantry,
"Here" Miros said and Svak came around to peer at the door. Miros pushed on it, but it didn't move. He looked about and saw the key hanging from the wall beside Svak,
"The key" he said and pointed to it.

[Void]

She looked at the key skeptically. Why bother locking a door if your just going to put the key within sight? It didn't make much sense to her but she just did a mental shrug and picked the key off the loop it was hanging on and passed it to Miros. "Kind of a cool place to put it by the stoves."

She watched him unlock the door the clicking of the lock sounding loud in the dark, they paused listening for any noise that they had been discovered. Her stomach growled noisily as if to say no ones there just get on with it already. She listened for a little long then looked at Miros and shrugged, "Onwards?"

[darkwanderer]

Miros felt the key in his hand and felt a pang of guilt,
"I guess the key is right there because they don't expect late night visits?" he said, his voice a little shaky. Svak's stomach was protesting at being made to wait for food. He was wary of the darkness below, now worrying more than ever about being caught,
"Alright, let's go down" he whispered and started creeping down the steps. There was absolutely no light in the pantry, but Miros could follow his nose and find the preserved meats, cheeses and the root vegetables. He turned to where he thought Svak was and spoke,
"Smell anything you like?" he asked the darkness.

[Void]

She heard the guilt in his voice and felt bad for dragging him along. She was just, so hungry. She would make it up somehow. But now she could smell the food too as she followed him down into the pitch darkness being careful not to trip on the invisible stairs. She could smell the food and the cold seeping from the surrounding stone chilled her slightly. She closed her eyes and just stood there trying to get a feel for her surroundings.

"Seeing as we can't well, see I will make due with whatever I can. I like cheese" She added as an after thought. Cheese was so good, especially with bread. Warmed it was even better but she wasn't going to do that in the middle of the night that's for sure.

[darkwanderer]

Miros glanced over his shoulder, as if he could even see in the murk,
"The cheese is good" he said and felt his stomach grumble a little, "I think I'll join you" he added with a smile she didn't see. He felt his way over to the small shelf upon which was kept the various cheese blocks wrapped in special parchment. Svak pulled one down, a small one which they both hoped would not be missed. Svak tucked in hungrily while Miros nibbled, constantly glancing over his shoulder. They really shouldn't be there...was that footsteps? With a gasp the pair froze, whirling to face the door and listening intently. Those were indeed footsteps...was someone coming to find them?

[Kaya]

"Uhg, head," Lithena moaned quietly to herself as she ambled to the dark kitchen, container of glows in hand. It lit up the room with their greenish glow, creating a strange scene before the swimming Black-Green Rider's eyes.

I told you not to drink it all, but you didn't listen.And now you refuse to get a proper cure from the healers and insist on this strange home taught concoction. I don't get it, LithenaMine. The Black-Green was indignant, but also concerned. Her Rider enjoyed partying, and this past evening she partied a little too much.

No one needs to know, a groggy mind voice insisted as she clattered about the kitchen and grabbed hold of a cup. She had a few of the things from home in her left hand and dropped them in. Missing one though. And she needed some hot water, and it appeared the hearth was off and neglected. Pity, cooks never good for it when you needed them to be.

"Wellp, looks like they put everything away. Going to get that one thing then," Lithena announced to the empty room, not the best idea, before wandering towards the storage room. Sharding cooks, putting everything away. Didn't they know what day it was? And no klah on the hearth. Outrageous. She made it to the door only to find it already open. "Lazy, good for nothing, cooks. Can't even lock their own shelling door,"

Lithena.Mine. Watch your tongue. Your mother would not approve. It isn't becoming. Not in the least.

The green light splashed into the storage room, lighting up two figures in with the cheese. Disoriented as she was, head starting to pound a beat faster, the nineteen Turn old just stared. What?

[darkwanderer]

Miros's heart began to thunder in his chest. They'd been found! And after the pains they had gone to, to be stealthy! He wracked his brains, mind racing for some kind of explanation or excuse as to their presence in the store room! He rather thought the Rider looked a little tired. Or maybe she was unwell? Then the idea sparked in his mind. He knew it was a long shot, but he hoped against hope it'd be sufficient to at least lessen whatever punishment they were in for,
"Uh...hello there" Miros stammered, then cleared his throat, "My friend here didn't have dinner earlier because she wasn't feeling well, so I brought her here to find something..." even as he said it he realised how it sounded. But he couldn't very well just say, "I was awakened in the middle of the night to pilfer some food because I wanted to impress my friend". Miros turned to Svak, urging her to corroborate this story so that they wouldn't be punished too severely.

[Void]

Svak was still frozen, cheese halfway to her mouth, as the noise in the kitchen got closer and the glow light spilled down the stairs. A very groggy looking woman was holding onto the light. Not the kitchen staff but still. They were caught! What did she drag Miros into? She had only known him for a few days and already got them into big trouble. She had to think of a way out of this.

She heard Miros trying to clarify and she felt even worse for dragging him into this. From what she had known of him this wasn't what he normally did and now that she got here she immediately got him caught up in her typical antics. She was determined not to let him get in trouble.

Svak then realized she could actually see the storage room because of the glow light and all the food in it. She spotted a rather nice looking piece of sausage and not really knowing what else to do grabbed it and held it out to the woman, "Care to join us?" she asked casually continuing to munch on the hunk of cheese.

[Kaya]

It took the sausage to snap Lithena out of her stare. She felt her stomach heave at the sight of it and she buckled, trying very hard not to lose her dinner. She was barely successful. No one needed to know she had been here either. "Get that discussing piece of dung out of my face." Lithena ordered, hand waving it away. Just the very site of it was overwhelming. The smell of cheese didn't help either.

"You, both of you, see that little green basket? Get it for me," Lithena barked. She wasn't in the best of moods, in fact it was some of the worst behavior Hrith had seen and it was alarming. With any luck, Lithena would learn her lesson on her own, but she wasn't sure.

Mine does not mean to snap. She is sick. Please get the basket. Hrith added. And if you could heat up some water that would be much appreciated as well.

"You're being too nice to 'em, Hrith," Lithena sent aloud. "....basket."

[Void]

Svak located the basket and grabbed it shoving the sausage and another piece of cheese into her pocket as she grabbed Miros by the shoulder and drug him up the stairs. She saw her chance to not get in trouble as the rider seemed to want others to know she was here just as much as they did. She told Miros to warm some water knowing that he knew where pots were located and he would be able to do it faster.

"Make sure you don't bang anything, I don't think it will make her much happier." She whispered very quietly into Miros's ear. She had been around many people like this at the Hold and knew loud noises were about the worst thing you could do as far as improving matters were concerned.

Svak carefully set the basket down by the cup filled with other unidentified things. The sooner they finished the sooner they could get out of here. Although if someone who would not be as happy that they were here did happen to come in they had a good enough reason to be here with the rider. She went and stood by Miros watching the water, staring at it as if they could will it to boil sooner than it was.

[darkwanderer]

Miros clung to the vain hope that this unwell rider would allow them this one discretion if they aided her and so he eagerly set to the task of boiling the water she wanted in one of the metal pans upon the stove. The harder he tried to keep quiet, the more sound he seemed to make! His hands had shaken and spilled some water onto the floor and he prayed he wouldn't slip on it. He was terribly aware of Svak's presence hovering to his side, but he stayed intent on the water, using it as an excuse not to be involved in any conversation that might take place. He was so ashamed! He just wanted to leap astride a Dragon and disappear between!