T'ela most definately has escaped from the chill - she's sprawled out across two rows, her arms up behind her head, and generally lounging about. O'kano is noted and a mild, energiless smirk directed at him as he passes.

Riko wanders in, his jacket snug about him. He shrugs his shoulders close to keep his face hidden from the cold by the collar of his coat. Upon entrance he unbuttons his jacket, and proceeds further into the galleries.

T'ela and her smirk are, for the most part, ignored. Or at least dismissed -- O'kano disregards her expression for the lack of usual scathing energy. He, too, spreads out, with legs propped up on the level below and elbows on the one above.

Leah walks in from the bowl.

Niniane stomps in, holding her cloak at arm's length, beating the remaining snow off of the blasted thing. With a satisfied smirk, she throws the cloak over her shoulders, securing the strings to her pendant. Later, once she's happily wrapped once more in her cloak, she scans the room, grinning maliciously as she spots O'kano, "Oh, Puo! Hello, Love!"

T'ela twists her head pack to continue to smirk at O'kano, lips twitching a bit more at Niniane's greeting, which prompts her to drawl out, "I didn't know you' had an... interest, lordling. Guess that leaves poor little me out in the cold."

Leah comes up the stairs, hands stuck deeply in pockets of her trousers. With a few tugs, she withdraws a hand to brush a bit of snow off of her shoulder, and she nudges a stray curl back behind her ear. Hand is stuck back inside her pocket. "Brr." is mumbled out of habit, not because she's cold, and she seats herself on a bench, nothing to do but sit and stare out at the sands.

O'kano's expression promptly changes from mildly content to horror and disgust as he hears Niniane's greeting. "Go /away/," he practically snarls over at the harper. "I am certainly not your love -- don't you ever, ever, ever call me that again." T'ela, here, is shot an annoyed look, and Puo snaps, "All I'm interested in is staying warm."

T'ela chuckles softly at that, obviously taking the comment in the way it was *not* intended. "Isn't that always how it is up here, though? Best way to stay warm." She doesn't move to rise just yet, but continues to grin playfully at her poor verbal punching bag. "Though to tell her to her face you don't love her... cold, isn't it, girl?"

O'kano should have expected that type of answer out of T'ela, and realizes his mistake as soon as the words leave his mouth. Clamping down on his lower lip, Puo rolls his eyes sarcastically and eventually intones with irritation, "That's not what I meant, and you know it." He snorts, then, and icily informs the brownrider, "I'm sure she'll manage."

Leah finally realizes that there is no point in just staring, so gaze refocuses to O'kano, and his usual group of followers. "Hmm." is mused with a slight grin, because it always seems as if O'kano has a group of people insulting him. She crosses her legs and spots a knot in one of her shoe laces. Quickly, attention refocuses to her boot.

Niniane lifts her cloak up, ducking her head behind it, "Oh, you heartless beast! I ignore you!" She drops the fabric and turns smartly on her heel, striding towards T'ela whom she now considers to be something of an ally, "I can't believe it. What I hate is I didn't even know his /name/ the first night. And now, after I've been there for him, he says he doesn't love me?" She puts her back towards Puo, covertly winking at T'ela.

T'ela is all smiles as she winks at O'kano. "Of course, lordling dearest. Of course." Sitting up, she eyes Niniane for a moment - she never had an ally before - and nods just a hint warily, echoing, "Horrible. That's a bronzerider for you, though, isn't it?"

O'kano would be perfectly happy to transfer his following onto Leah. Or anyone else, for that matter. But, as it is, he only sputters at the conversation that's reaching his ears quite well and can't help but to throw in is own word. "The first night you met me," he snaps defensively, "all you did was make up stupid songs in the caverns. I left -- any decent person would. Your Hall probably posted you up here to get you out of the way." He glowers down at the two women, adding, "All you two ever do is twist facts to sour people's reputations."

Niniane heaves an exaggerated sigh, resting her hand upon T'ela's shoulder, "Yes, yes. Are they all like this? Oh, if they are, I simply must get transferred! Flirting with guys who aren't willing isn't fun in the least!" At O'kano's insult, she spins, offering the man a false smile, "I was put up here to make sure people like /you/ don't dispair the innocent. Any decent person would know that by now."

Leah is still struggling to undo the knot in her shoe lace, but it doesn't seem like it's going to give in any time soon. After finally giving up on the thing, she sighs as slides her foot down to drop on the floor. Her attentions are now centred again on O'kano and his group of lovely ladies. She's beginning to feel sorry for the bronzerider now.

T'ela's expression twitches down into a hint of a scowl before she brings it back up to its mocking standard. "Flirting? Hardly. Could you *imagine* flirting with- with *that*?" The outrage in her voice is toned down a bit into sleeker tones, though, as she adds, "Lordling hasn't got any appreciation for music - did anyone tell you that yet?"

O'kano returns Niniane's smile with a fierce scowl as he straightens from his lounging position, crossing arms over his chest. He ignores the flirting remarks, focusing instead on his so-called lack of appreciation. "I do too. The difference between me and you, T'ela, is that I've actually heard good stuff down in Boll and Ista. All the Weyrs get is the worst. The Harpers that no respectable Hold would ever accept."

"What he must consider music is the creeling of flits if he thinks the /amateurs/ in the Holds are better. Doesn't he know that the Harperhall sends the absolute best to the weyrs? Why else would I be here?" His scowl only forces her grin to spread, nearly blinding, yet she speaks through gritted teeth, barely supressing the urge to knock him into Between.

T'ela has no such restraint... well, not much, anyways. She springs lithely to her feet after directing a rather disapproving look at Niniane tempered only with a faint smile, and doesn't saunter - she all but *marches* over towards O'kano. "Good stuff? Would that be *before* they pulled your head out of your rear, or after?" Arms are folded across her chest as she all but glares down at him. "Hmmm? Picking on *me* is one thing, but picking on a newly stationed is another," is hissed through her teeth.

Leah shakes her head at verbal attacks at O'kano, who seems not to be giving in with his nicely seasoned insults as well. She stays quiet, though, her urge to go up and say something not affecting her. The candidate sighs, and nudges the ground with her toe. It would be nice if something unusual decided to happy today...

"Because you're awful?" O'kano suggests oh-so-sweetly. "But you're too tone-deaf to realize it?" He peers up at T'ela, eyebrows raised skeptically. "You've obviously missed the fact that she was the one who started by making fun of /me/. And by making bad songs, too. And since you really don't know what you're talking about, maybe you'd better go annoy someone else with your whiny voice--" he pauses, glances around, and points a finger towards Leah, "--like her, until you figure things out." He rolls his eyes, adding, "As if that will ever happen. You're too far into your cups to figure /anything/ out."

Leah is suddenly pointed to, though with her wandering mind she hasn't got a clue what for. Confused look passes across candidate's face, but she keeps quiet, still sitting on her bench, looking innocent. *She* didn't do anything.

Niniane spares a glance towards the innocent girl, quickly leaping to her defense, "Because /she/ isn't a self-absorbed wherry like the monster before us! She has sense enough to ignore this bickering, or, atleast, stay out of it." Now, following T'ela's lead, she crosses over towards O'kano, hands planted on her hips, "And I wouldn't /be/ a Harper if I was tone deaf. Unfortunately, the standards for riders are a bit different, which explains _you_." No insult to anyone else!

T'ela's eyes narrow, teasing expression melting away into something harder, which only worsens at the mention of drunkness - wrong thing to say when she's sober.. "Don't push your luck, O'kano..." Deadpan serious, now; only she's allowed to make fun of people, you see. "I'd think you'd know better by now. No. Nothing can explain him but turns of inbreeding, harper."

"Neither am I," O'kano snaps back at the Harper. "And maybe if you'd actually /spoken/ to me before jumping to conclusions, you would've realized that." He forms a small, mocking smile and remarks, "Imagine -- even /you/ could end up as a rider. What could be worse? If you're bad enough as a harper..." He gives a shudder before his attention switches over to T'ela. "/Excuse/ me? Inbreeding? And I suppose you know my lineage just as well as you know your own, then?" He pauses. "Or do you know your own? Half the people at this Weyr don't; why should you be any different?"

Leah has long since lost interest in the agrument that is some ways away from her own seat, and has decided that staring out blankly is much better than listening to the constant bickering of the riders and harper. Foot starts tapping absentmindedly as bored candidate sighs.

Riko wanders in his jacket buttoned tightly with a scarf wraped snugly around his neck. Upon entering, he already has the scarf off and wraped about in the crook of his arm, and his jacket unbuttoned. A few steps are taken in the warmth of the caverns getting to his frozen flesh, "Mmmmmm, warm."

Niniane displays a twisted grin as she throws herself at O'kano, slipping her arms about his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. She sends her voice up about an octave, sounding like a bubbly teenager. You know, the one's that squeal and bounce, "Oh, and then I'd get to ride with you! Imagine that! And when my dragon rises, you'd get to be one of the lucky fellows in the crowd vying for the lady dragon and me!" She tightens her grip, coming dangerously close to strangling him.

T'ela snorts, rolling her eyes and shaking her head at the display. "Which of the Lord's mistresses do you claim as your mother again?" is shot back viciously. "I know sharding well who my father is, whether I like it or not." A look of pure disgust crosses her face at Niniane's actions. "Now that you mention it... it is a rather scary prospect, lordling..."

O'kano half-chokes, attempting to push Niniane away and disengage her grip. "I would /never,/" he manages to gasp out. "I'd transfer." Once he manages free himself from the harper, Puo scrambles up to the next level of tier, arms outstretched to ward off a second attack. "My father didn't have mistresses," he spitefully shoots back at the brownrider, attention sliding to T'ela momentarily. "How dare you slander my family."

Riko pauses a moment, hearing the burble of T'ela and O'kano in some form of arguement again. He sighs, continuing to move, pausing to give T'ela a smile and wave, "Heya T'ela."

Leah is still very interested in a certain part of the ground, which is given a few scuffes with the toe of her boot. Candidate sighs though, and she watches newly arrived Riko go by. "Hello." is piped up at the person that she's hoping wont get involved in this awful bickering.

Niniane allows the smirk to remain, a sinster glow inhabiting her eyes, "Aww, and abandon me? Terrible, awful, I don't know what I'd do!...Except rejoice." She takes a few steps down until she's level with T'ela, whispering, "Hey, watch it. I did that merely for the sake of unnerving him, which it did." Her eyes never leave her prime source of entertainment, and annoyance, memorizing the pose he holds. How...endearing.

T'ela shoots back furiously, "How dare *you* insult mine, and *my* Weyr?" Dark brown eyes positively flash with anger as she works herself up into a nice little snitch, clenching her hands into fists. Entertainment is one thing, but Tae has such an awfully short temper... Whirling, she eyes Riko, letting just a hint of the anger bleed off as she nods to him, then whirls back to face her.. nemesis? "You're such a-- a-- *child*!"

Riko sighs again, as the argument continues. A smile is given to Leah, "Heya Leah, did you start this mess?" He moves along the front of the galleries and sits on the bench next to her, grinning in the process.

O'kano doesn't catch the whispers, but his eyes narrow neverless; he's got some uncanny seventh sense that lets him know when anyone's talking bad about him. Which is pretty often. He dismisses her, however, with a small smirk, and glances back to T'ela while letting his arms drop and standing. "Just like you insulted me and mine?" he inquires, sacchrine-sweet. "And you're a typical rider -- the type I heard about in horror stories before bed."

Leah frowns at Riko, but eyes glint. "I don't know, but I don't seem to have the need to be involved in it. There really is no point." is offered, quite loudly. Ahem.

Niniane is not one to abandon her /half/-allies, so she remains, now poised to throw herself between the two. In one of her tell-tale mood swings, she's suddenly gone bored with the entire ordeal. Typical Harper, "Oh, ho hum. You're merely repeating what's already been stated. Congrats." Wow...It's nearly dead, weary..._bored_.

T'ela stomps up to stand on O'kano's seat level, eyes narrowed viciously to match. "And *you're* the typical wherry-necked, stuffed-up, prick-faced little lordling we grew up making fun of!" All but growling, she directs a glare at Niniane - she's never done well with partners in crime. "Don't *you* get me started, harper, too. Show some respect!" Whether to her or to O'kano is unclear, but one thing is certain: all she needs is a little push to get the fires of hell going full-steam. "Well, lordling? What *are* you, anyways? A lordling or a bronzerider? You're a sorry example of *either*."

Starting? How about finishing...With a light shrug, she turns, taking the steps down two at a time. The moment her feet hit the last step, she turns, skipping over to the benches, plopping down on the nearest one, eyeing the two candidates, "Oh, that was refreshing. Yum."

O'kano has been called tall before -- or, more accurately, gangly and lanky -- and now he draws himself up to his full height, planting hands on hips. "I don't think you're in the position to make such judgements. What do you know, anyways? You're always drunk, so how can you tell?" He sniffs with scorn. "Pitiful."

Riko snaps his attention to O'kano, at the drunk comment, like it is hard to miss what is being said, "Don't you dare ever accuse her of being drunk, your no better yourself arguing like a little weyrbrat." Obviously this has struck some deep chord on his level, "You just need to go chill out for a while, go sit in the snow."

T'ela isn't exactly tall, but she's certainly not scrawny, and glares up at O'kano, stepping close enough to him that only a handsbreadth or so seperates them. "I *think* you're asking for what I could never give you when you were a weyrling." Brown eyes widen in outrage at the comment, her hands abruptly unfolding from across her chest, fists clenched in preperation to strike. "Are you even a man, lordling?" Little appreciation can be shown to dear Riko for defending her, at least, not when she's blazing mad. "Stay *out* of this, Riko." At least her tone is more commanding than vicious when dealing with the candidate.

O'kano eyes Riko momentarily, commenting, "She's drunk all the time, if you haven't noticed. It's rather hard to miss, although I wouldn't put that past you. You never struck me as very bright." Seeming not to notice just how perilously close to being slapped or hit or punched -- or kicked, for that matter --, Puo glowers at the brownrider with his arms still akimbo and demands, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Niniane looks to Riko with a hint of admiration shimmering in her eyes. "You've got guts, fellow." She sighs as her inner voice persistantly reminds her to become the peacemaker. But, it's so much fun to be a teaser. Durn. Quickly retracing her steps until she's upon the tiers once more, nearly dashing up the steps. She places a hand upon each riders' shoulder, well aware that this leaves her open to a few blows of her own, "First off, if she was drunk, she wouldn't be speaking clearly. You don't give her enough credit. I'm sure that lesser people would be well into their bottles by now." Allowing her gaze to settle upon T'ela, she raises her eyebrows, "I think that the little guy down there has a point. We're obviously thrilling him by doing this, so why not simply walk away?" She nudges gently, her eyes fading to a subdued, motherly color.

Riko has a sudden flash of anger in his eyes, but he restrains himself, remembing his duties to the weyr and his duties as a candidate. He sits back on the benches, "I'm not dumb, and by the looks of it, your as dumb as they come, dimglow."

T'ela clenches her teeth, fists spasming as she struggles to control the impulse to beat the you-know-what out of the bronzerider. "There. Was. A. *SHARDING*. Good. Reason." We won't go into the whole bronzeriding weyrmate leaving her, nope... A flash of pure, unadulterated rage streaks across her face at the insult, and though her voice is low, her body is tense as she hisses, "Leave him *alone*!" And on the alone, she reaches back and takes a swing with all her might at O'kano's midsection with a tightly clenched fist.

Impish, O'kano quirks eyebrows and forms a mocking half-smile. "Really? Do tell me, sometime. I'd love to hear." An involuntary step back as he hears the hiss and takes it as a warning soon turns into a scramble to get out of the way of T'ela's fist. The effort's mostly futile; Puo manages to avoid it enough so that the punch isn't full-force, but eyes widen with several degrees of shock -- and pain, probably -- nonetheless. "What do you shardin' think you're doing?" he half-shrieks. "That's not /fair/."

Okay. Ignore the Harper who attempts to stop this madness, even though she /did/ cause some of it. Quickly, before Niniane has time to rationalize, she shoves herself between the two, knocking T'ela's fist out of the way. She doesn't narrow her eyes, purse her lips, or plant her hands upon her hips. No, she just gives T'ela the most pleading of looks, "Please, please, /please/ show him he's wrong and step away. You got your punch in, now step down." Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not defending him. The implied thought...Should she say this out loud? Hmmm...

Riko stands up again, glaring at O'kano, looking to almost leap at him, but he restrains himself only to an angry stare. His eyes go wide as contact is made between T'ela's fist and O'kano's chest, and a gasp escapes his lips.

T'ela grunts as she halts her forward motion, wrapping the offending fist in her other hand as she advances another step on O'kano, eyes blazing. "Oh, I will.." Startling enough, her voice has a deadly calm to it, giving away nothing of the anger. Niniane is eyed for a moment as she would an insect in her way, and she makes a move to brush her aside until her eyes widen, vision clearing just a bit from the haze of anger. "Harper, this is *not* your business." Lifting her chin, she glares over Niniane's head at the bronzerider. "A lordling like you hurt by a little woman? Doesn't *look* unfair to me.."

O'kano eyes Niniane, too, and takes her interjection as an opportunity to retreat a few more steps as he wraps arms protectively about his middle. "It's not fair," he snaps, "because you're a girl. And that means I can't hit you back -- what if you ended up in the infirmary? Even /I/ have more sense than to get myself grounded."

Niniane has disconnected.

T'ela takes the bronzerider's retreat as a chance to let Shepoth get some soothing words in edgewise, to judge from the unfocused quality of her gaze. A moment's struggle out of the mental lecture, and a significantly calmer Tae watches O'kano expressionlessly. "You could never do that, lordling. You don't have the spine or the strength." But there's definately less conviction in her tone as her gaze partially unfocuses once more, but remains affixed on the bronzerider.

"Oh, shut up," Puo spits out with disgust. "Just because I have some sort of dignity -- respectability--" Chivalry? Cowardliness? "I have better things to be doing with my time than to let you take swings at me that I can't -- won't -- return. Maybe some other guy would, but /I/ have my ideals intact, despite living at a Weyr."

T'ela continues to eye O'kano, head half-cocked as she listens to a voice only she can hear. An eyebrow is arched consideringly at the words, though she doesn't show any sign of actually letting them bother her. "Are you done?" is asked softly as she folds her arms across her chest once more. Not waiting for a reply, she all but saunters towards the stairs, and subsequently near O'kano, and answers her own question. "Good." Just before she passes by the bronzerider, she turns, a faint grin appearing once more, and adds, "Oh - and lordling?" Lightning quick reflexes, and she's all but on him, rising up on her toes to plant a fist-- no, a *kiss*-- on the bronzerider's lips before she turns once more and all but hops down the stairs and out.

There's no response to the question T'ela poses besides a dark glare; one's not really needed, anyways, it seems, as she speaks again.  He watches warily as the brownrider approaches on her way out, ready to bolt for those stairs at the slightest hint of threat.  But when it comes, Puo's caught unprepared, with no more time than that it takes to brace himself for another bout of physical harm.  And as the preceived punch tranforms into something very, very different, the lordling is left off-balance, off-guard, and only manages to sputter out one phrase:  "What...?"  Then he, too, flees, heading in the opposite direction of that T'ela took and escaping to the ledges.