Dining Hall

This comfortable room is the social hub of the CraftHall. It is filled with tables that are sectioned off due to rank, though only official meal times see knots where they ought to be. A large hearth almost always holds a kettle for stew, a pot of klah and another for water, and a table near it holds bowls and mugs as well as pitchers of cooler beverages. Tapestries color the walls, and a painted border, of a different knotwork design than the main hall, runs around the walls at ceiling height. The chairs are comfortable and invite long stays for studying, talking, and, as quite often happens, sleeping.

A double swinging door leads to the kitchen, but it only blocks the view from about knee to shoulder level. Looking through shows waist high tables, hearths, a couple of roasting pits, and shelves that hold everything a cook could ever need.

You see Lorien here.

Lisel is here.

Simkus comes in from the Main Hall.

Brell comes in from the Main Hall.

Brell plods blearily in for some klah.

Brell wakes up as she smells dinner food

Simkus fixes himself a cup of juice and moves over to the table where Lorien ahas set himself down. Simkus nods towards the others.

Lasarah sits at her regular seat, stirring the herdbeast stew, picking out the tubers. She seems in a kind of morose mood. Must be the weather. All this rain and wind can get anyone down.

Lisel is seated at the Master's table, working on another lovely dinner provided by the herderhall kitchen staff. She's got a broad smile on her face, she's so bad at covering emotion, something that she really should work on. Glancing around the hall, she can't help but be even more excited, but she must wait, the moment must be right.

Brell grins at Lasarah in greeting as she ambles over to the klah pot and the food, scoops both up and retires to her bench and proceeds to munch

Brell looks up from her slurping and calls a "Hello Master Lisel, Hi Lasarah" before resuming eating

Lasarah looks up from her stew to nod to Brell. "Herdbeast stew . . again." She stirs it aimlessly, not really eating much. She glances over at Master Lisel and her brow knits. "What's with her?" she asks Brell in a whisper.

Brell grins and shrugs "Master things I guess" she murmurs and spears a piece of meat "It's pretty good food"

Lisel is rather enjoying the last of her herdbeast stew, and the fresh bread that accompanies it. Her glance catches Lasa's semi-scowl, which only causes her smile to broaden. Taking a deep breath she forces her expression back to a straight face, not that it'll last long. Gotta wait 'til everyone's done....

Lasarah nods, less enthused than Brell, obviously. "Yeah, it's not bad." She pokes at the last piece, chewing it thoughtfully.

Brell stretches out her feet and looks around her for a moment then picks up the bowl and drains it rather sloppily

Brell slups her klah a bit and glances at the Master a bit carefully before averting her eyes and reclining a bit more "Lasarah, how where your classes today?" she murmurs

Lisel seems to keep her expression more sober by making idle conversation with some of the other masters, who seem to have noticed her unusually cheerful expression.

Simkus finishes drinking his juice and decides it sis time for a refill. He walks over to get it, then sits down by Lasarah, motionging for Lorien to come over. "Greetings Lasarah, may I join you?" Lorien lands in front of Simkus.

Lasarah takes a sip of klah and chuckles. "Well, I'm not much for anatomy classes, so I guess I never really enjoy them - but at least there was no disections today. You?" Eyes seem to be on the kitchen and she mutters, "I wonder if we're getting any dessert tonight." After dinner is one of her favorite parts of the day - and dessert is no small part of it.

Brell grins "Oh, I don't know, I sorta like the anatomy lesson's , but not as much as runner care and anything else runnerbeast "she grins rather ruefully "Though my toes don't think me for it" She beams at Simkus "Hello Simkus" she motions him over "Sure!" she answers for Lasarah

Lasarah glances up to Sim. "Joining us late today? We're nearly finished." She pulls out a chair next to her and nods, indicating an invitation to sit.

Simkus smniles. "Hello Brell." Simkus sits in the offered chair. "Actually, I was eating over there," Simkus points to where he was sitting. "and finished up so I thought I would join your dlittle discussion." Simkus grins. "What are you discussing anyweays?"

Lisel notes the arrival with a grin, finally the time has come. Pushing back her seat she stands, and with her fork she klangs against the side of her glass, trying to quiet the sounds of the hall. "Your attention please!" She says loudly, "I've an announcement to make."

Simkus quiets down and gives his attention to the CraftMaster.

Brell blinks a bit and turns quickly towards the sound of the clangs and the loud voice of the master and tilts her head, curiously paying attention.

Lasarah pushes herself upright in the chair. Hmmm, something interesting in Herderhall. Well, it will give them something to talk about later in the Crafter's Lounge. She idlely wonders what it could be. A journeyman posting? A new shipment of runners? Whatever it is, it probably means more work for the apprentices. These announcements usually do.

Lisel smiles as the clamor of the dining hall tames to a soft din. "Before dessert, I'd like to recognize two of our number who have completed the requirements necessary for promotion!" She reaches for her beltpouch and pulls out two new Journeyman knots, "Simkus and Lasarah, it's your turn to walk the tables. Congratulations!"

Brell gasps and turns towards Lasarah with huge grin on her face! "Wow! go Lasarah! walk!" she urges hapilly

Darien comes in from the Main Hall.

Darien wanders in, hearing a lot of commotion going on.

Lasarah stands slowly, looking first to Simkus and then to Master Lisel in surprise. Brell's urging seems to break her stupor, and she walks slowly towards Master Lisel, grinning hugely, aware of all the eyes upon her. She seems more than a little shaky and stops in front of Master Lisel, not quite knowing what to say. "Thank you, Master Lisel" she stammers finally.

Simkus takes a sip of his juice while Lisel is speaking, and almost chokes on it when he hears his name and the word promotion and journeyman together. He looks around the room for a second, mainly to pull himslef together and then stands up. Taking a deep breath he takes a step forward, then waits for Lasarah to procedd before walking u to Craft Master Lisel. "Thank you Craft Master Lisel." Simkus barely manages to get this out.

Lisel smiles broadly, handing each their new knot in turn. "Congratulations again, you two have done very well, we're all proud of you. Now that you're journeymen you'll be able to declare a specialty, and then of course there'll be a posting, but don't worry about that just yet. First worry about finding a new cot in the journeyman sections of the dorms." She grins, her pride in the newly promoted evident in her smile.

Darien goes out to the main hall.

Lasarah's fingers are trembling as she unfastens the frayed and stable-stained knot that she has worn for so long, remembering the day in the teaching cavern when Alena presented her with it. How proud she had been! But that moment doesn't begin to compare with this one. She lays the old knot almost revertly on the table in front of her, then slips her arm into the new one, turning with a beaming face towards Master Lisel. "Thank you, Master Lisel . . for everything. " She alone knows how much she's helped Lasa get to this moment.

Simkus smiles as he takes the knot, still not quite believing it. Simkus glances at Lasarah and grins, obviously with something on his mind. "Thank you once again Craft Master Lisel." Simkus turns to look at others in thier room, in the room before reaching up and removing the old senior apprentice knot, which he puts into his pocket for safe keeping. He then fastenes the new knot on his shoulder and looks back towards Lisel. Simus is working hard to keep himself dfrom exploding.

Lisel can't quite contain herself, she knows full well how excited she was she was promoted, and it seems she can never hold back. With a broad smile she pulls you each into a huge hug in turn. "I'm so proud of you guys!" She re-iterates, oh well, she's too happy to be worried about being repetative.

Lasarah doesn't mind the repeating - Master Lisel can praise her until sunup and she'd stand there grinning. She hugs her hard back, blinking back the moisture that has unexplicably formed in her eyes. "This means so much - in so many ways." She stands there, blinking, and then turns to Master Lisel with a little grin. "Does this mean I dont' have to clean the porcine pens?"

Simkus smiles and accetps the hug from Lisel, giving as good as he gets. as good "This means a lot to me as well, I am so glad that so many people were here to help me make it this far."

Lisel chuckles softly, "Yes it does mean a lot of things, including not having to clean out the porcine pens if you don't want to." She lowers her tone, "That's what apprentices are for afterall." She winks and continues to smile. "I think the kitchen staff should be bringing out dessert shortly, if you'd all like to settle back into a seat."

Lasarah turns to look over the assembled herders and flashes a self-concious grin, heading back towards her seat. Halfway there, she pauses and turns around again, dashing back up front to grab her old and battered senior apprentice knot. Holding it up with a smile, she heads quickly back towards her seat, and then stops again. She's going to the apprentice table! She turns slowly and eyes the journeyman table, looking for an empty chair. Wow - she's never seen the dining room from this vantage point before!

Simkus smiles and turns to walk to the journeyman tables to await dessert. Simkus pauses for a second to let Lasarah go first. Simkus has a smile on his face that eh can't seem to make smaller. "Gratzz Lasarah." Simkus smiles as Lasarah starts to go to the wrong table. Simkus locates 2 empty seats, and after taking one motions for Lasarah to take the other.

M'hail comes in from the Main Hall.

Eden strides into the dining hall, wondering if Simkus has made more pie...?

M'hail strides into the dining hall, slapping his riding gloves against his thigh as he stuffs them into his belt. "Fort's duty t'ye," he says, aqua eyes gleaming at the tableau before him - so reminiscent of his earlier days as an apprentice.

Nettik wanders in, and tosses a wave to everyone. "Heyla! Daine, Simkus, Lasarah, Eden, Lisel, M'hail.... M'hail? Welcome back! " He gets a fraction more attention than the klah pot. But not by much. Caffine is much, much better than conversation, in her books.

Daine walks into the dining hall, waving and nodding to the people she knows and taking a seat at a table.

Lasarah seats herself in at the journeymans' table, looking around from face to face with a rather goofy grin. She smiles to all the herders streaming in, and nods to M'hail as he makes his entrance, too. She doesn't know quite what to say or do, so she just sips her klah, nodding like a wherry to all, as all the conversation and action seem a fog around her.

Honey appears from **BETWEEN**

Simkus smiles as everyone walks into the room.. Simkus leans over to lasarah. "I don't know about you, but I am shaking jsut a little." Simksu grins and waves to someone.

Honey chirrs in surprise at finding herself in the herder hall, but she eagerly joins Mik as he finds a seat at the journeymen's tables. "After all," he notes to the closest journeyman as a seat is found for him, "She /is/ a herder in her own right, is this 'un." The little gold firelizard certainly looks the part, sporting as she is a journeyman herder's knot around her delicate vermilion neck.

Nettik , on her way to the table, claps Simkus and Lasarah heartily on the backs. Hopefully, neither one of them were in the act of swallowing. "Congrats to the both of you! You must be excited, eh? " Note: Keep caffine away from Nettik. She doesn't need it. Neither to the poor people who have to endure her afterwards.

Simkus grins after the hearty clap on his back from Nettik. "Thank you." Simkus seems to still be in shock over this whole thing.

Lasarah shakes herself out of her fog, determined to act as one wearing her new rank. "Yes, Journ . . Nettik, I am, and thank you." She sits a little straighter, shaking her head back. It feels great.