Even in the cool sanctuary of the mountains Elwyn could feel the heat of the Summer's peak crawl into her skin during her grueling labor of her chores. By the end of her task, Elwyn's skin was damp with perspiration. She was not necessarily disgusted with the smell, but she was revolted by the feel of how her sweat dampened her clothing and caused it to cling to her body, and how her scalp itched immensely from the sweat and salt of her work. By the time the last wheel barrel of firestones was brought forth to be bagged for the up coming Fall, Elwyn decided she had had quite enough for today. She had worked twice as hard as the rest and felt that her efforts had earned her an early retreat for the day.

"But we're not done yet," one of the boys call out after her as she motioned to retire for the afternoon.

She gave him a look of indifference. "Yeah... but I think I am. Don't worry, I'm sure you boys can handle it." As she strolled away she heard whispers of the Weyrlingmaster, but shrugged it off. The young woman was still fresh to the Weyr and still did not know her ways. She had come from a world grossly different from the world of the weyrbred. Her work was about quality, not quantity, and after all the work she had put in, she was sure the Weyrlingmaster would forgive her for her early leave. Of course being new to Atricis, her assumption was still capable of making an ass out of her, but she was not about to care at the moment. Instead, all she cared about was the inviting cool air of the lower caverns, and how it blew against the beads of sweat on her skin. Immediately, she felt the relieving chill of the dark catacombs, but she reveled in it after the hours under the intense sun.

The thoughts of the labor had her mind focusing on the intense ache in her sinuous body, and the dull phantom pain in her left shoulder. She paused for a moment, rubbing the sore appendage, but as she continued to rub the tense muscles she realized it was the aching memory that caused her pain. She glanced at her arm, her hazel gaze seeing past the tunic that covered it, and saw the gnarled scar that marred her arm. The brief memory furrowed her brows and wrinkled her nose as she scowled at the hidden mark, an eternal reminder of her previous life. It seemed even out of the Hold, those memories of Holdbred morals would always remain with her in spirit, and she loathed every minute of it.

With her mood successfully soured, Elwyn continued on her trek, her feet taking her through the lower caverns to the bathing pools. Her need was great enough that she did not bother taking the extra trip towards the candidate barracks. She lacked the willpower to force herself in that direction. It seemed now that not only her body needed to be cleansed, but her mind needed it as well. Upon her arrival, she immediately noticed she was not the first to arrive at the pools. Her instincts had her memorize every face and their countenance before she dared to shed her clothes before them. It was not that she was ashamed of her nudity, but she did still feel a certain amount of vulnerability when she was fully exposed before unfamiliar eyes, eyes whose intentions she knew nothing about. At least with a quick deliberation of her gaze, she felt comfortable enough to remove her garments with the assurance no one was going to do anything about it. But as she dipped into the bathing pool, she made a point to keep her pile of clothing near by, a pile that successfully hid her dagger if anyone dared to push her. Elwyn was not about to take any risks now that she was in a Weyr. Her Turns of a Holdless existence had scarred her habits, and she doubted she would ever be able to revert them.

For all her turns as a rider, Rivir still found bathing alone to be a strange and discomforting experience. The holdless men had been the only family she had ever known, and for as far back as her memories went, one of them had always been watching over her. Usually Manard, but sometimes others. There had always been others about when she bathed. Until the day Diadeth had chosen her, the idea of bathing alone had been a foreign one, something which existed only in concept. It was why, despite having a small bathing room of her own, as all rider's did, she still came seeking out the communal bathing rooms on most days.

Rivir was uncertain exactly how long she'd been in this particular bath. She'd fallen asleep at some point, though, as she lifted a hand, she wasn't too wrinkled yet, which meant it couldn't have been too long. The sounds of someone moving about reminded her that there was a reason she had awoken. Pale blue eyes moved away from the water, and up to the person who'd joined her. A pretty woman, taller than Rivir was, though that was hardly a selective group, almost everyone was taller than she was. Rivir eyed the woman cautiously as she waited to see what she would do.

As the other female began to undress, Rivir tried to do the decent thing and look away. When a soft splash signaled that the woman had entered the water, Rivir looked back at her. The blue quickly found her gaze being drawn to the knotted flesh of the scar on the other woman's shoulder. Rivir knew what that brand meant. She'd seen it before, growing up among the people she had it was probably inevitable. This woman looked so young to have such a scar. Without thinking, Rivir lifted a hand to rub her fingertips along the scars on her face, remembering that she too was far to young to suffer the scars she did. No-one should have to go through that kind of pain.

"It's okay, I don't bite" Rivir told the woman, who still looked nervous. Busy watching the woman, she didn't notice that her firelizards has awoken from their own naps. Or that the pair, having awoken, were now curious, and heading to investigate the pile of clothes the other woman had left, mottled fern green and two tone bronze burrowing into the cloth in search of anything interesting.

Being the sort who tended to be on a constant edge, Elwyn remained rather vigilant with her surroundings. So those looks and glances given to her by the other woman in the bathing pool did not go unnoticed by the candidate girl. Her hazel green eyes shifted to the other woman suspiciously, immediately drawing upon her hands for any weapon that the watcher might have possessed. It was not that the candidate girl believed this woman might have had any ill intent against her, but instinct told her to think of the worst. Satisfied with her safety, her gaze averted back to the water before her, doing her best to make it seem as though she just had wandering eyes scanning her surroundings rather than eyes that were briefly fixated on her company.

A cupped hand ran through the rippling surface to scoop up some water to splash down her shoulder, moistening her skin for the sweetsand she would soon use. The water did help to deaden the savory smell that was once omitting heavily from her, but now, the scent merely lingered, wafting by her senses when she moved just the right way. Dripping some water down her arm, Elywn caught sight of the other woman again, and noticed her eyes lingering on her as she herself reached for something at her cheek. She did not know why, but Elywn had an idea of what the woman was looking at, and immediately the hand that wet her arm ran up the limb to cover the marking on her shoulder. With the way this woman watched her, she wondered just what she thought of her, what judgement she drew of what she saw of Elwyn's branding.

The candidate girl no longer hid the fact she was looking at her, not when it was abundantly clear she was being watched. She scanned the cheek that the girl touched, noting the tattooing that marked her face and the diminutive size of her slender build. Elwyn's thoughts danced somewhere between weighing the other woman's fighting worth and beauty. Elwyn, however, was not given the chance to think much of her before the woman spoke.

"Don't worry, I don't bite."

"I didn't think that you did," Elwyn replied, her voice dancing somewhere in the mists of curiosity and annoyance. The young woman could not decide which one she wanted to sound like at the moment. Just as Elwyn spoke, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye and spotted the firelizards that began to rummage through her belongs. A hiss escaped her before she snapped at the pestering beasts. "Hey! Get away from there!" she growled at them before she stepped through the water and waved her hands to shoo them away. Her hands found her things, setting firmly onto them before she looked to the creatures with narrowed green eyes of further irritation. Some people really needed to keep their beasts on a leash, or not have them at all.