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+--- Thread: [G] [O] 740.10.07 | Evening Reconaissance (/showthread.php?tid=4547)
740.10.07 | Evening Reconaissance - S'laire - 12.Oct.19
It was hard, sometimes, being so close to home again and yet still so far away. Ivonen hadn't taken any steps to bar him from seeing his children, but he would have to be blind not to see the discomfort his presence brought to her new marriage. S'laire didn't even remember the man's name--Tallin,--but he could see, could feel the way he would look at him when he didn't think S'laire would notice. But Luxilth was always watching. Sometimes in a creepy way, but S'laire had grown accustomed to the blue's random outbursts of observation.
It helped far more often than it was a hindrance, so S'laire let it continue. They didn't talk about it, though. It was something like an unspoken agreement between them that they just carry on, collecting and sharing tidbits of knowledge no matter how mundane it appeared.
Evening always brought with it a certain peace; the Weyr tended to be on the quieter side, with everyone going about their evening chores or getting their hands on something to eat. That was, in fact, what S'laire had been planning on doing--was doing, in fact, and studiously ignoring his dragon's constant string of comments. Ignored wasn't exactly the right word, though, because every word the dragon said was heard and noted and savored.
It wasn't always this easy, though. They both had their fair share of trouble at the start, figuring each other out and learning how best to help one another function in a world that S'laire, at least, didn't particularly want to be in. There was no denying that a dragon had been the last thing he'd wanted...until he had one.
And that was the rub, wasn't it?
Luxilth never took it personally; how could he, when he'd been able to see why S'laire had such a hard time with everything the first couple months after Impression. It had taken significantly longer for Luxilth's frustration to work itself out, but as with everything else: they managed. Together. And by now S'laire didn't think he could even imagine his life being any different than it is.
Though in retrospect maybe he still wished, a little too hard, that he could have his family back--but that was doubly absurd, wasn't it, because as Luxilth was ever-keen to point out...he had a new family now. And so did she.
They had their own separate lives now, and while a part of him craved the life he'd been torn away from he knew that Ivonen had moved on. As long as she didn't keep him from seeing her or their children, he could deal with a little disgruntled glaring from Ivonen's new man. Tallin was free to moan and whine all he wanted as long as S'laire still got to set eyes on the kids and their mother.
Must we linger on such morose thoughts? the blue asked idly after a while, and S'laire winced apologetically.
'No,' he said simply, finishing the final bite of his bread and pushing away from the table he had claimed for himself. Upon walking outside S'laire glanced up, shading his eyes against the energetic glare of the setting sun. While Fort had always felt a lot more secure, safer than Katila in a way that he couldn't really describe, even S'laire had to admit that there was a lot more variety in evening activities in the southern Weyr compared to what was available in Fort. Being nestled in the middle of a mountain range certainly had its detriments.
He could just see the familiar shape of Luxilth sprawled on a ledge a ways off to one side and several dragonlengths in the air, almost unusually still in his relaxation. That only lasted a moment before the sleek blue head rose, looking off across the Bowl with sudden interest.
Someone comes.
RE: 740.10.07 | Evening Reconaissance - Rhaedalyn - 17.Oct.19
It had been a long day for Rhaedalyn and R'nya, working hard like every other day since the meeting on organizing the supplies needed to help prepare Benden as well as doing the full roster rotations. So far only a small group from each Weyr had been going to survey the old Weyr and making notes of what needed to be done and which sections seemed the best to focus on first and which needed to be roped off as they were unsafe. It was going to be a big project and she wondered how they managed to get two open at the same time previously. Though, Ista was already small and they only opened about half of it to begin with so that likely helped.
She finally dragged both of them out of their offices and sent R'nya back to their weyr to check in on the girls while she promised to go get them some late dinner. She was humming to herself as she walked through the Bowl and smiled when she spotted someone recently exiting the dining cavern. She was tired but Rhaedalyn had learned early on to hide it and to never ignore the people she had somehow been put in charge of. She was also much more comfortable talking to people in general now instead of going red with embarrassment or trying to run away from being too shy.
"Good evening, S'laire!" She liked the bluerider. He was one of the Stolen, like her, and while she kept more to herself or with R'nya and the other gold candidates, she did still cross paths with other people and found the Harper had some lovely stories in him so she sometimes sat with him at meals or in the evening when everyone lazed around the Square chatting or playing games. Of course he also wasn't always thrilled with being in Katila and the return North seemed to have been hard on him as well but Rhaedalyn was confident he was making it all work out and would get through it. She wouldn't be herself if she didn't hope for the best in everyone and everything.
"How have you been? I feel like we haven't properly chatted in forever. The perks of paperwork," Rhaedalyn rolled her eyes and chuckled as she made fun of her station and how it kept her out of sight some days.
RE: 740.10.07 | Evening Reconaissance - S'laire - 20.Oct.19
A small, pleased smile crossed S'laire's face at the sight of Rhaedalyn, and at her greeting. Even before she'd Impressed to Aradissicath he'd been rather fond of her, their shared status of being Stolen something of a connection that she'd used to her advantage in subtly working her way under his shell. Whatever worries he'd had about her dragon's shiny hide changing the way she treated her friends was proven, rather quickly, to be a foolish thing, though of course there was no denying the fact that things were different.
She didn't turn crimson and forget how to speak every time someone looked in her direction, for one thing. She was good at reading people--or maybe she was particularly good at reading him--and had become quite talented with getting him talking without making S'laire feel like he was being interrogated, or judged.
"Evening, Weyrwoman," he greeted once she'd made it close enough that he didn't have to shout at her. The smile still curved his lips as she neared, and it only proved to get more and more distinct, harder to hide as Rhaedalyn came to a halt. "It has been rather busy of late," he mused, "but we've been managing. I won't hold the silence against you." He leveled a look on her, a little more searching. "What about you?" He knew enough about the Weyrleadership to know that hers was not an easy responsibility, though he supposed that it must have been at least slightly less overwhelming with her station and her training as a gold candidate and then a gold rider.
And that didn't even begin to take into account the Weyrleader himself and that particular relationship. R'nya was...well, R'nya, and he supposed her children were no small task to wrangle either.
"You look good," he said quietly after a moment, head tilted slightly to one side as his gaze took her in again. "Not that you don't always, but you look...happy." He shrugged, and glanced away for a moment. "And I guess I can't leave your golden lady out, either. Still as resplendent as always?" He grinned.
RE: 740.10.07 | Evening Reconaissance - Rhaedalyn - 23.Oct.19
Rhaedalyn wrinkled her nose at being called Weyrwoman. It wasn't that S'laire was wrong in doing so, but she still had moments of feeling awkward when people used it and especially hated it when a friend did so. No comment was made on it, though, as she figured it was done more for the benefit of anyone walking by as they were in a public space but if he did it again, she'd consider wrinkling her nose in distaste at him even harder than she currently.
But she let it drop when he gave her a once over and smiled at his compliment and explanation. "Thank you but I won't agree with you most days on if I look good," she was often tired--more from her daughters than actual Weyrwoman things--and her curls sometimes got away from her and made her look rather wild but she could agree with one thing, "but I am happy. Tired, but happy. Aradissicath on the other hand is radiant and ecstatic. She's so happy to be back on her Sands, as she puts it. I'm so happy she doesn't Fly again right after a Hatching though I wouldn't put it past her to try!"
Even I like to stretch my wings a bit more regularly than what a Flight can offer so we'll stick with the current routine. Rhaedalyn bit her lip to keep from laughing at her dragon's distaste of being constantly on the ground despite the amount of love she had for sprawling out in the Sands. Gold dragons did what they wanted and it didn't matter if it was contradictory to five minutes earlier.
"Anyway, enough of golds. You and Luxilth should visit again soon. Varlea loves her blues and a certain fellow hasn't come by lately." It wasn't surprising that her children loved blue dragons given so many of their mother's friends rode blue. Varlea's actual parents were blueriders and came by from time to time, then there was D'hys who was always around and Zeianth even tolerated the kids for a short time. R'nd, T'bia, and even the sweetest boy R'dal came by regularly, winning the hearts of all of her girls. Thinking on it, Rhaedalyn now understood R'nya's random comment once about their daughters running off with a bluerider. Guess it wasn't so off-handed after all.
It was a testament to how tired she was that Rhaedalyn didn't stop to think before speaking about her daughters. She knew S'laire had been plucked up out of his perfect life with a family and a Craft to be brought to Katila and also knew that the family wasn't in the Weyr with him now, though she didn't have much more information than that. As much as she wanted to help her friends, Rhaedalyn hated prying or pushing them too much but knew S'laire would share what and when he wanted to.
Still, just in case he purposely didn't visit much because of memories, she offered him a quick alternative with a mischievous grin. "Luxilth can play with them while I play with your hair. You still haven't let me braid flowers in it and you promised I could do that the day before you Impressed. Don't you think I ever forgot, Sithulaire." To be fair, he had Impressed and six months later, she Impressed as well so they had been a bit busy at the time. Then add in the move North and finally opening more Weyrs... still, Rhaedalyn was happy to pretend S'laire was purposely avoiding it and that it hadn't been eight years ago that the promise was made.
RE: 740.10.07 | Evening Reconaissance - S'laire - 10.Dec.19
S'laire feigned a grimace at Rhaedalyn's comment, though he couldn't quite smother the grin that pulled at his lips at the same time. "There's not much to play with, lately," he said after a moment, one hand raised to pull through his shorter hair somewhat self-consciously.
"But..." and now he really laid on the drama, heaving a heavy sigh and not bothering to hide the widening smile on his face. "A promise is a promise. Give us a time and we'll be there with bells on." Perhaps a little bit of an exaggeration, but S'laire figured Rhaedalyn might just forgive him for it when they showed up at all.
It was never easy to think about his family, but S'laire wasn't the type to begrudge those whose family life was happier than his own. Sometimes he even enjoyed listening to such stories, if only for fodder for situations to imagine his own family in, if things had been different. The thought never crossed his mind to be anything other than happy for those he cared about--especially when he wasn't particularly forthcoming about his own familial situation. He knew that Rhaedalyn suspected at least the basics, but she'd never broached the subject and he was content to let things remain that way for now.
He'd always known that he wasn't the only victim of the kidnappings, and knew very well that his situation certainly wasn't the worst that there was. The Stolen had tended to gravitate to each other during their Candidacy, though S'laire had remained on the fringes even of that sect. Mostly by choice. Of course, Rhaedalyn hadn't given him much of a choice in the matter, and her attempts to befriend him had always been so earnest and honest that he didn't have the heart to push her away.
One of the best decisions he hadn't had to make, as it turned out. Luxilth crooned his quiet agreement.
It's good to have friends, he intoned to both his rider and Rhaedalyn, and S'laire didn't bother trying to smother the impulse to roll his eyes. The thought that his dragon was simply trying to find friends for him, S'lair, always brought a grin to his face and a warm rush to his chest; a little sappy, of course, and not entirely the reason Luxilth was always so nosy, but it was a nice thought.
RE: 740.10.07 | Evening Reconaissance - Rhaedalyn - 11.Dec.19
“It is,” Rhaedalyn agreed, while looking around for the beautiful boy and smiling at him when she spotted him a bit in the distance on a ledge. Some dragons feared bespeaking her, afraid of what Aradissicath would do, especially when she was egg heavy and cranky, but the gold didn’t mind. Sometimes it was needed for the job, sometimes it was needed just as a friend and Aradissicath was on the same page as Luxilth—friends were good to have.
“Actually, Dissi plans to tell stories to some of the younger dragons tomorrow evening. How about the two of you join us on the sands? Luxilth can mingle with the dragons and I’ll bring the flowers for your hair, and if you bring the bells, I might let you add them to my hair.” She grinned, knowing the expression and what S’laire meant by it but also in love with the idea of at least one of them jingling as they parted ways. A part of her wondered if dressing Alyren in bells would help keep track of the girl that was getting quick and sneaky.
“I promise I won’t put in too many if you bring a bottle of wine,” she often had a glass with R’nya in the evening to help unwind after the day before bed, but Rhaedalyn felt like having some drinks with a friend while they caught up in greater detail when they weren’t standing outside the dining cavern sounded like a wonderful idea. “Unless you think getting your Weyrwoman tipsy is inappropriate. But as your Weyrwoman, I could also order you to drink with me, though I like it better asking as a friend to share some drinks with me while we just have fun. Assuming neither of us have forgotten how to have fun!” She laughed, though she really hoped that wasn’t the case! She liked to think she was at the very least still good company.