"-and then she was like 'Oh no, there's a monster in the lower caverns!' How could I not laugh?" Egai grinned so broadly that her face threatened to split. The much older lad, taller than her by two hands and with a face marred by red acne, remained sullen and shrugged. "But honestly Onri, how can you let your wher escape again? I swear this has to be the 5th time this sevenday.." The lad grunted and did not reply. Surely his father had already given him an earful about not being able to control his wher.

"Ooosk...." Egai called out as they went down the lower cavern hallways, her singsong voice carrying through the empty space. There was no answer. Egai doubted anybody would be down these hallways unless there were candidates cleaning the storage rooms.

Raolf felt decidedly bitter. Dust particles clogged his nose and itched his eyes, to the point that his face looked decidedly red and puffy from the constant rubbing of both areas. He let out a loud, wet sneeze, the force of it sending him reeling backwards into a pile of old linens. A few, smaller sneezes later, the Candidate emerged from the bug-eaten cloth with a low grumble of muddled curses. It was so decidedly ironic that he, out of all the Weyrfolk ambling out of the Kitchens, had been plucked by the Headwoman to do the interminable chore of cleaning the Storage Rooms. She could've at least picked someone else to help him. Raolf grumbled a little longer and tried to get over it. He never liked to be angry for long, and complaining would never get the job done. Straightening up, he picked up a basket of glows and uncovered it, sending the soft light into the dim room. This Storage Room was long and cavernous, about three-quarters filled mostly with preserved food, herbs and spices. While the Weyr wasn't receiving a bounty of tithes, it could survive a little longer on these.

He dragged a basket of dried redfruit into the middle of the room, setting it aside with the pile designated for dried fruits and preserves. The main task would be clearing out all of the debris collected in the hard-to-reach places and re-organizing everything into it's proper place. Raolf cleared the shelves of salted meats and jars of spices, wiping down everything thoroughly with a cloth. He replaced the meats and spices in an orderly fashion. Just when he was about to move on, the young man could've sworn he had heard a distinctive voice echoing in the hallway.

"...Ooosk..."

"Oosk? What in Faranth's name...?" Raolf muttered aloud, his brow crinkling in puzzlement. Then, he thought he heard something heavy shifting. He couldn't quite tell if the noise came from within the room, or from the corridor. Prickles shivered up his neck, "H-hello...?"

Onri stood rigid when another person came around, giving him a rather savage glare. "Osk, actually."

The polar opposite, Egai gave a broad grin and greeted the lad with an informal salute. "Sorry if we disturbed you. We're looking for his lost wher. Have you seen a huge, blundering green thing, about yae tall?" She held her hand up to about her lower torso. She was obviously joking, because anyone who would have seen such a sight would have mos likely reported it immediately.

"Anywho, we're searching for her. We think she might be down this way... do you know these halls well?"

Raolf was taken aback for a moment, regarding the young man's glare with an uneasy look. "Sorry, I guess I heard you wrong earlier." he muttered, though he didn't really seem to care if the beast's name was "Osk" or "Wherrybrains", for that matter. The other new acquaintance seemed to at least have a good sense of humor. That, or she was plumb crazy. Who, in their right mind, would loose a wher in the Lower Caverns? Raolf gave an uneasy glance over his left shoulder.

"I'm Raolf, and no, I haven't seen a green...wher," he replied, "But I thought I heard something in that Storage Room, a few minutes ago." The Candidate gestured behind him into the small cavern. "If she isn't in there, I can show you the other Storage Rooms." He paused for a moment, unable to stifle his curiousity. "How did you lose a wher, anyway? Aren't they a bit...large?"