Welcome to Gaia! ::

As the gruelling sun set below the horizon, Lariel wiped away a few beads of sweat from her forehead with her not so clean arm, and took a dep breath. After having mined so much firestone, her hands were blistered and sore and would feel even worse the next day. So what, she was used to it. After making sure her firestone had been secured, she wiped her slimey hands on her trousers and headed further into the Weyr. Her firey red-blonde hair was damp and pressed tightly to her head from all the sweat, but she knew better than to run her dirty fingers through it. Her downcast eyes hardly looked up as she traveled the long hallways and corridors, knowing all the time where she wanted to end up. A good cup of klah could do me wonders right now, she thought with a tired sigh. Maybe a meatroll or two as well. The next time she looked up, the Dinning Hall and Kitchen area loomed ahead of her, beckoning her further with tantalizing scents and aromas. Letting her stomach do the controlling for her, she drifted quietly into the hall and scanned the room. As usual, there were plenty of people to make a blather of buzzing noise and Lariel snarled to herself. She'd take some klah and some meatrolls with her to the barracks then. She had no patience for the insuferables. Noting a small line had formed for early dinner goers, she ticked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and cut in front of a boy who appeared to be at least one year younger. His protests were sufficiently silence with a rough glare and a snarl. When they were in reach, her delicate fingers snatched up as many meatrolls as they could grab and she headed off to the table that held the klah.

Njaria grumbled, standing in front of the klah table and carefully clearing all of the dirty utensils and cups, wiping down the table to clear the split klah powder. When she had volunteered for kitchen duty, this was the LAST thing she had in mind. She was too good for this. She was Bakercraft apprentice. She was the daughter of a dragonrider. She was better then wiping sharding klah dust off of a messy table.

Turning with the offending klah powder cupped in a towel in her hand, Njaria started forward and back towards the kitchens. But, being the arrogant one she was expecting everyone to instantly set aside when she was walking in their direction, smacked into a young girl who looked a bit older than she was... "Hey! Watch where you're walking, you wherrybrain!" Njaria exclaimed, jerking her head up to glare.

Lariel stopped in her tracks and slowly glared down at the pest in front of her, then down at where some of the klah powder had spilled onto her tunic. She snarled and opened her mouth slightly to allower the tip of her tongue to run across her teeth slowly, her eyes now piercing into hers. Normally, she would have had a mind to just ignore the intrusion into her personal space, but someone calling her a wherrybrain just went ahead and crossed the line. Putting her hands on her hips, Lariel took a small step foreward and put herself almost directly on top of the one who had run into her. "I believe it was you, who ran into me." Mentally she weighed the chances of this girl besting her in a fight and smiled at the conclusion she came to. "It's customary to offer an apology when you're the one at fault."

"You're suppose to move!" Njaria said, narrowing her eyes. "I was clearly busy and coming this way. It wasn't like you didn't have time to move," She said, cocking her hips to the side and giving Lariel a huaty look. "One doesn't apologize when it's not their fault. So, I think you're the one that owes me an apology." Njaria was an arrogant idiot, she didn't know when to back down.

One eyebrow lifted in annoyance as she listened to the dribbling idiocy this girl was spitting at her. Her hands moved from perching on her hips to being crossed over her chest. "I owe you nothing. Besides, why is it my fault if I didn't spot a small weyrbrat like you?" She grinned maliciously and her emerald eyes sparkled with fire. This was more fun than she'd had in a fortnight (sp), and she wasn't about to let it end too soon. Lariel moved her stance to something a bit wider, effectively blocking the girl's direct path. Now she'd have to try and get around her if she wanted to leave.

Njaria wasn't about to go anywhere. She wasn't one to back down from a fight. "I am NOT a weyrbrat!" Njaria exclaimed. "I am a Bakercraft apprentice, daughter of the late brownrider E'ros and Bakercraft Journeywoman Njaima. I am more than you probably are," She said, glaring at Lariel. Sure, Njaria was an anklebitter, but she could get vicious when she was provoked, especially about her origin and her parents since that had been the source of so many problems through her life.

Lariel rolled her eyes as soon as she heard a mini speach coming on, and droppd one arm to lay limp at her side. The last words actually made her wince mentally, although over the years she had learned to school her features well into showing what she wanted others to see. Although her face remained passive, her eyes shown with a fury that might have made a lesser person rethink what they might have just said or done. For moments all she did was stare at the girl, refusing to move. Finally, she swished her hand dramatically in the air, pretending to clear something away. "La de da. Your father rode a dragon and your mother could cook. Sounds like a lot of people here at the Weyr. Why don't you try again and this time REALLY try to impress me? Although try and keep it short, I don't have all night to spend talking to a little runt like you."

Njaria growled low in her throat, "I don't need to impress you," She hissed, placing her hands on her hips. "There's nobody I need to impress. The people who are worth it will see me for what I am, and the people who aren't...won't," She leaned back, looking Lariel up and down before snorting. "And you're don't seem worth it."

Lariel chuckled after she had been 'looked over'. "I hope that didn't strain your neck to much, little one. Well, I'm worth it and I see you for what you are, a pain in my backside. Now why don't you run along and do whatever it was you were doing before you so carelessly bumped into me. I'll let you go without and apology this time, but only because I find your presense so tiring." She stifled a pretend yawn and grinned maliciously at the girl.

Njaria grumbled, not budging for a few seconds until she turned and weaved around Lariel, darting back towards the kitchens, muttering curses under the breathe. Suddenly a light blue firelizard zipped around Lariel's head as another young woman wandered over, "Don't mind, Njaria. Seems she's always been the boss wherever she was, and she isn't used to having a pecking order where she's nearer to the bottom," Kirana said, nodding to Lariel as Azure turned and spirled down onto his owner's shoulders.

Lariel had turned to watch the pipsqueak leave, and so she was startled when the blue flit had caught her attention unexpectedly. She whirled around to find its owner right behind her and swore silently to herself; she shouldn't allow anyone to creep up on her like that. Upon the mention of a name, the slightly older candidate looked back to where Njaria had last been and mentally snarled, then sighed. "Eh, I could care less." She waved her hand dismissivly and looked at the new stranger. In the presense of another, when they weren't fighting, Lariel began to feel akward and fidgetted in place. Remembering the meatrolls in her hands she held them in front of her and groaned at the sight of the smashed bread and meat, but shrugged and closed her fists around them again. Food was food. Lariel nodded to the woman semi-respectfully. "I should get to the barracks now." And with that she pushed her way past the woman and made a hasty retriet where she hungrily consumed the meatrolls, cursing softly when she realized she'd forgotten the klah.