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+--- Thread: [G] [C] 739.12.19 | An Invitation (/showthread.php?tid=4314)
739.12.19 | An Invitation - R'nya - 02.Jan.19
R’nya smiled at Quilriana lazily as he let himself collapse on the bed beside her, handing her a piece of fruit he’d collected before making his way to the bedroom. The trip to visit Quilriana had been dual purposed; the primary reason that his lover was aware of was to bring her son home for a visit, since Aradissicath’s latest clutch was currently Hardening on the Sands, and R’nya was sure that – eventually – young Quinvalis would Impress and that would prevent home visits for a while. R’nya had promised to bring Quilriana to visit Quinvalis whenever she wanted, wherever he Impressed, but he knew she hated to be a bother – not that she ever was.
“Kids are down for the count,” he teased, biting into his apple and munching thoughtfully for a few moments as they relaxed. R’nya had gotten quite good with Quilista – or perhaps she was why he was so good with his own daughters – and he’d told her some story or another he’d stolen off Rhaedalyn before peeping into Quinvalis’ room to wink at the boy and promise to take him home in the morning. They both knew R’nya would stay the night – unless Quilriana kicked him out – and that even if she did, he’d be back for Quinvalis before he missed any lessons or chores he’d been assigned.
R’nya kept to the companionable silence as they ate their fruit, before taking the cores and putting them on the bedside table, placing a handkerchief under them so that they wouldn’t make the wood sticky. Leaning back on the bed, R’nya shifted onto his side and considered his friend and lover with quiet contemplation. “The gossip has not spread yet,” R’nya said mildly, “but I am sure it will not take long once the right people hear,” he snorted softly. “I have negotiated with the Master Healer, to enter my goldriders and some of our female candidates into his Hall for training.” R’nya considered Quilriana for a second, his expression serious. “I would like to offer the same to Quilista, if she is interested” he left off that the decision was, ultimately, Quilriana’s choice… and that she was still a dash too young.
RE: 739.12.19 | An Invitation - Quilriana - 19.Jan.19
Quilriana always looked forward to visits from R'nya. It certainly wasn't because she was in love with the man--that would lead only to heartbreak. The bronzerider was comitted to his goldrider and family and she wasn't delusional enough to ever consider he would give that all up for a widowed waitress in a tavern. She simply enjoyed his companionship and the sex was a nice bonus that eased the loneliness that built up over the nights since her husband died. R'nya was also a nice distraction from her life that consisted of working long hours to help in the tavern that her brother now owned as their father spent his remaining years relaxing. When she wasn't working, she made sure her children--well, only daughter now that her son was in a Weyr--weren't lacking with what they needed or even wanted and made or altered clothing when she could. R'nya did his part to spoil them all, though Quilriana did her best to make sure the kids knew not to take advantage of the kindness and that R'nya himself knew not to do it too often.
His carefully worded offer after minutes of silence spent simply enjoying the company of an adult that she wasn't related to only proved again how much he looked after her family in his own way. He knew she worried about the future and safety of her children and he had easily gone along with 'Searching' Quinvalis and now he was offering to help get Quilista into Healer Hall. She couldn't find a response, left speechless by the offer that in turns had her wanting to smile with joy and relief but also worried about costs and being away from both children. Of course she always knew one day would come that both would leave the nest, married off and starting their own families but everything changed when she had to raise them alone and a part of her couldn't see them leaving anymore. It had been her idea for Quinvalis to go to the Weyr yet she missed him terribly daily. To have both gone? She'd deal with it so long as the kids were happy.
Finally she allowed herself the bright smile R'nya usually earned for one reason or another and she lightly shook her head in mock disbelief. "I don't even want to consider how long the bargaining took since your usual modes of persuassion likely wouldn't work on the Master Healer," she gave a coy smile his way before glancing in the direction of her daughter's room. She could see Quilista doing well in the craft if the girl wanted to but just like her brother, she looked up to R'nya and practically viewed him as her father given the young age at which her actual father died and they met R'nya. If he suggested it, she'd likely start packing that minute.
"If she's interested in it, I won't stop her. She's getting of an age where I need to find something for her to do," she was still a bit away from prime marriage age, but Quilirina wanted her daughter to have a good range of skills to help her out in life. She already had the basics down for cooking and sewing, healing would be a nice bonus. Perhaps she could end up as a midwife or work at a Weyr. Those ideas settled some of the fears for the future, but Quilriana still had to make sure Quilista made it to that future.
"I've put marks away to give to her when she marries. It's not much but it might pay for a turn of lessons when she's old enough to enter." She had no idea what deal R'nya had made with the Master Healer but she couldn't let the man pay when he had already done so much for them.
RE: 739.12.19 | An Invitation - R'nya - 22.Jan.19
R’nya’s eyes twinkled, but he gave Quilriana a dry smile, the edge of his lip twisted slightly. “Considering failure would have had Jajojin in a frenzy, such persuasions were not likely to be off the table,” the bronzerider’s expression flickered with distaste, before smiling softly and leaning over to kiss Quilriana lightly on the cheek. “Though I admit he is certainly not to my tastes!” Amused, R’nya relaxed back onto the pillows, which he’d piled up against the bedhead so he could lean on it. Gentle fingers ran lazily through Quilriana’s hair; her hair was so straight and such a different type of silky smooth than Rhaedalyn’s.
A light smile and a small nod when Quilriana said she’d let Quilista go to the Hall if she desired; he was glad, and approved of the young girls getting themselves an education that would help them out in life. R’nya was traditional enough that he didn’t approve of the women being on dragons – especially not fighting dragons – but he didn’t want them to feel as if they were useless or unappreciated. He certainly appreciated Rhaedalyn and all that she did, and he had ever intention of making sure his daughters (all five of them!) were warriors when they grew up, too. Albeit preferably ones without a dragon… even a gold dragon was questionable. Then, of course, there was the fear that one of his precious baby girls would end up like poor Indivara had when she was birthing Vadira.
R’nya, who had been frowning as his thoughts took him down somewhat frightful paths, even if he was getting rather ahead of himself, refocused and frowned at Quilriana when she brought up marks, and payment, and he sat up slightly, leaning over onto his elbow so he could meet her eye seriously. “No.” The single word came out with gentle firmness, and he ran his fingers softly on her arm. “I am not paying, and neither are you, or anyone else. It is coming directly out of the Weyr’s coffers, which are mainly filled by fat lordlings who are too lazy to walk, or don’t wish to be inconvenienced by more mundane methods of travel.” He realised in that moment that he would likely have to arrange for Quilista to be ‘searched’, but knew – at least Pre-Plague – that most gold candidates were Searched by bronzes, anyway, so no one would think twice about Xyreith tagging the girl for Candidacy.
Not that R’nya wanted to see Quilista on the Sands any more than his own daughters, honestly, but he wouldn’t deny her if her mother was okay with it.
RE: 739.12.19 | An Invitation - Quilriana - 27.Jan.19
Quilriana frowned at being told that she wasn't allowed to pay for the education. R'nya had a good reason behind it and while she didn't think all Lords were fat and lazy, the point stood well enough to know that all the Lords took advantage of the quick and easy travel that dragons once again provided them. It wouldn't hurt to use the extra marks from those trips to pay for the girls to go to a Hall, especially such a beneficial one at that. Cooking and sewing were all well and good but to be able to tend to the sick and wounded was something special and something she knew the Weyrs needed. The dragonriders were stubborn men that butted heads with the Halls and Holds and if they could have their own Healers, less negotiations and frustrations would happen at times of Hatching and emergencies.
But Quilista wasn't a weyrbrat nor was she Searched. Yet. She sighed, knowing where this conversation was going to end up. She enjoyed playing chess with R'nya some evenings and had learned to think ahead, anticipating his next move and how to block it or use it to her advantage. Quilriana had also learned that he was strategic away from such games as well. Not to mention devious with a dash of cunning, as his statement about persuading the Master Healer showed. She knew Quilista would have to be Searched and whether she was actually good for a dragon or not wouldn't matter as R'nya would find a way around it.
Truthfully, Quilriana wasn't entirely against the idea of her little girl living in a Weyr. It was a lot more stable with guaranteed work, food, and a roof than working for extended family. The tavern was growing small as her brother's family grew larger and it would be nice not to worry about her daughter's future as much as she did. Quinvalis was thriving in the Weyr and while she worried about him at every Hatching with how violent they were getting, she didn't regret sending him off. But to have them both on the Sands? Not that Quilista would be there for quite some time if she went to the Hall.
"You seem to have me at a checkmate, Weyrleader," Quilriana finally looked up from her nails she had been studying while mulling over everything once more, and smiled softly at R'nya. The only way to get the Weyr to cover the costs was to have her Searched and since paying herself would be difficult, it would have to be done. "I'm not against her being Searched as well, though she's still too young as per your guidelines. But I assume you already have a way around that."
She lifted a hand and rested it gently on his cheek, gaze drinking in the sight of him. She truly could love this man, if she allowed herself. He was handsome, charming, intelligent, and looked after her children as if they were his own. Yet, while they had a seemingly perfect relationship, Quilriana had always known his heart belonged to Rhaedalyn and she'd never do anything to hurt the sweet woman. Not that it would have done her any good if she had put effort into making R'nya solely hers. He was too committed to the goldrider and now their family to ever consider switching out mates. She was good with the arrangement they had and would never change a thing about it.
"We can discuss it with her tomorrow but first, I'd like to show you my appreciation for the way you look after both of my children," Quilriana shifted so she could roll R'nya onto his back as she straddled his waist, taking control for the time being. She wouldn't hold it for long, but she knew R'nya liked the shows of dominance and that they could play--she imagined given what she knew of the woman--a bit rougher than he normally had with Rhaedalyn. As she lightly rocked against his groin, Quilriana leaned down to his ear to whisper, "I hope you've cleared your morning schedule, Weyrleader, as this appointment is going to take a while and you'll need time to recover." Her warning given, she nipped at the tender earlobe and then moved to cover his mouth with hers.
RE: 739.12.19 | An Invitation - R'nya - 03.Feb.19
R’nya smiled gently at Quilriana, knowing that if she truly were opposed to the idea, being checkmate would not stop her from fighting. He was pleased she liked the idea, and was mildly surprised by the weight that seemed to lift off his own shoulders at knowing Quilista would have a secured future, even if she never went very high in the ranks of Healers, or if she chose to forgo living in the Weyr – as a Healer, she would be useful anywhere on Pern, with or without a husband and children of her own.
A soft laugh was given in acknowledgement of Quilriana’s assumption that he had a way around Quilista being a smidge too young to actively be Searched. “Indeed,” he said, smiling slyly. The girl was too young to be on the Sands, but Verec hadn’t included any specific age requirements when he agreed to take on some of the Weyr girls. R’nya wasn’t sure if the man was well versed in the limitations the Weyrs had set on their Search candidates, but R’nya had already figured out how to get Quilista into the Hall; the girl wasn’t the only child too young to be on the Sands, that R’nya wanted educated. By the time they finished their Apprenticeship – the minimum he was going to require of his gold candidates once the flow into and out of the Hall was established - they’d be old enough to Stand.
R’nya still preferred his goldriders Impress on the older edge of things, between twenty-five and twenty-eight, but he wouldn’t deny them Standing as long as they were at least seventeen. R’nya roused himself from his idle thoughts and smiled at Quilriana lightly as she gazed at him, his eyebrows lifting just slightly in a silent question as to what was on her mind. The statement that they’d talk to the girl in the morning was met with an agreeing nod, before a wicked smile took control of R’nya’s lips.
“Is that so?” He queried, lifting both eyebrows high in a look of mock disbelief. “I suppose I can postpone my morning appointments…” Grinning, R’nya accepted the kiss eagerly, and set about assisting Quilriana out of her clothing, and himself from his own without breaking the contact any more than necessary.