Keep on Keeping on [B'run]

There were days that Jisralna felt as though she would much rather just stay in bed all day and eat her weight in bubbly pies; today was one of them. However, she'd already made plans to have B'run fly her out to the forest so she could gather a few flowers and herbs that had proven to be particularly effective as dye ingredients. Besides, even if she had called off the trip, she wouldn't have been able to stay abed, not with her three new friends about. Gambi, Silly and Weaver were up with the sun and made sure that their big, round feeder wasn't far behind. So, Jissy was up with the sun and once she'd fed her boys, she set about stuffing her own face with some cold meat from the previous night's meal.

As she wasn't due to meet up with B'run until mid-morning, the weaver set about doing what she did best and  brought some of her work outdoors with her. Currently she was working on a project in her spare time, swaddling blankets for her soon to be born child. After asking around about various symptoms she was experiencing and her own intuition she was convinced that she was going to have a little girl and was currently in the process of adding delicate little flowers to the square of cloth.

Of course, doing her job had become a bit more difficult as her little blue, Weaver, was fascinated by thread and only a stern scolding kept him from tangling her precious colored threads. Silly liked to bury himself in piles of cloth scraps and Gambi rather enjoyed pouncing on his ridiculous brother when he emerged. With time and patience she was certain she could make little gentleman out of the lot of them, but there were plenty of times when she felt as though she might have been better off only getting one from the clutch that day, like A'liran. Though how she would've avoided Gambi or Weaver she didn't know. She was just glad she didn't find herself in B'run's position with three greens and a gold to take care of.

After several minutes of getting nothing done aside from shooing Weaver away several times she finally gave up and put her project away then, deciding to save her energy for the task ahead of her, was content to simply sit in the sun, her hat in place, with her eyes closed and a trio of firelizards clinging to her. Though she only meant to close her eyes for a moment, B'run would find her dozing like a lazy dragon in the sunlight after a feeding, plump, warm and content. Gambi and Silly were curled up together in her lap, a contrast of lighter and darker brown while Weaver sprawled on top of her belly, soaking in the sun.

Jisralna had asked him to take her into the forests to get herbs and whatever other odds and ends she happened to want. He'd readily agreed, wanting to get away from the body of the weyr for a time and to give his fair some room to stretch their wings. He knew they'd appreciate it, they'd made him leave his hut numerous times over the past few days, disliking him being antisocial and wanting to explore. Apparently that mean he had to go with them.

Ali, Hush and Brat circled above him now as he crossed the gather square. Lovely, meanwhile, had draped herself across his shoulders, content to sun herself there. She'd grown a great deal in the short time he'd had her, though Hush hadn't seemed to have grown any and Ali and Brat were growing just fine. All in all, B'run was happy with his fair of females and greatly pleased that they were in good health.

He headed towards where Jisralna had said she'd be waiting, glancing up at the trio of greens as they swooped and dove. He spotted the snoozing woman and dropped into a crouch beside her. He patted her arm gently. "Ma'am? You awake?" He knew she wasn't, but asking seemed more polite than telling her to wake up.

The problem with dozing in the sun was that all too quickly it became a nap which in turn lead to outright sleeping for a woman who was having more and more trouble sleeping through the night. Not even the curious chirp of Weaver as B'run and his fair approached made her stir, or Gambi and Silly launching themselves from her lap to join Ali, Hush and Brat in the sky. No, it was the touch on her arm and the gruff yet lilting voice that gave Jisralna a start. With a snort, her hand--which had been resting on her stomach--shot out as though she were shooing someone and collided with the little blue. With a squeal he toppled off the woman's belly and with an indignant hiss, took to the skies to join his siblings where it was safe from sleepy feeder people.

"Hmmm, oh! Sorry Weaver." She called out then blinked and stared for a moment at B'run before her eyes lit up and she tried to scramble to her feet. The result was that she looked like an overturned trundlebug and her cheeks colored once more. "I'm sorry, Sir. I didn't mean to fall asleep." Wheery feathers, but it was hard to get up from the ground; she really needed to stop sitting down or she'd be stuck there until the baby was born. "Just give me a second..."

Cheeks flaming she rolled away from B'run and clasping her lower lip between her teeth, went from her hands and knees and slowly maneuvered herself up until she was on her feet--swaying slightly from a momentary headrush but on her feet--then set about smoothing her lightweight dress, eyes fixed on the ground...or her stomach rather as she couldn't quite see past it at that angle.

"It happens. Ain't no worry, ma'am." He wasn't sure where the line of formality was with her. They'd shared company for an extended period of time a grand 1 time before now. With A'liran, there was no formality unless there had to be. Teasing and jokes were common and he appreciated the greenrider's relaxed friendship. He'd even go so far as to count the man as his best friend. But with Jisralna...

She was a woman. A very pregnant woman at that. And he didn't know where the boundary between the ma'ams and being himself was. Of course, the ma'ams were partially himself, as he was a polite individual, but was it acceptable to help her stand? Should he offer his arm? Did he comment that she was looking tired and at her size sleeping was more than acceptable? His interaction with pregnant woman was limited to occasionally taking them places, like now, on Olemuth. He had no weyrmate, no children of his own (that he knew of) and no basis for how he was supposed to treat Jisralna. This was hard!

"You still need yer plants an' things?" His steady drawl continued on. He spoke slowly, both trying to be understood and giving her time to wake up. He touched a hand to her elbow, offering support as she swayed and worked at balancing herself. He had no plans, aside from feeding his fair whenever they got hungry again, and was patient as can be.

Ma'am...was she really a ma'am now? Before she'd gotten pregnant it had always been Miss this or Miss that. It was a simple change in perception but it had a huge effect on the woman. True she was well past being a girl physically but now others saw her as a woman. Not quite sure what to think about that, Jisralna smiled in thanks as B'run reached out to steady her. He truly was a thoughtful man, which was a nice change. Not nearly as indimidating as he looked though she suspected that he could be quite terrifying if he wanted to. Once she was steady on her feet she began to fuss with her gown, a nervous habit that had only seemed to get worse the larger she got. "I...yes, please. If it's not too much trouble, that is. I'm sure you have better things to do than follow me while I waddle around."

Had anyone else said it, it might have been an attempt at humor, but Jisralna didn't even so much as chuckle. In fact she was rather somber at the moment and while that wasn't exactly anything new, it did reflect her lowered view of herself. Not only did she feel bloated and unattractive much of the time there was also the added guilt of her rather traditional mindset. Not only was she not married, but she wasn't even in a relationship with a man and she was going to have a child. Back North she would've been branded the worst sort of woman and shunned by her peers. It was hard to reconcile that mindset with the knowledge that such behavior was not only encouraged by the Weyr but that it was required of many of the women.

Weaver dropped out of the whirling torrent of green and brown and with a little chirp, Jis obligingly caught the little blue in her arms and ducked her head down to kiss the top of his head as she cuddled him to her chest. Of her three, he was the calmest and the one that rarely strayed from her side. Though she didn't want to play favorites, she had to admit that he was a comforting presence, especially when she was feeling a little down on herself. Bolstered a bit by the blue's affection, she looked up at B'run and smiled, a bit of the usual smile sparking in her green eyes. "I don't mean to be mopey, I think it's the baby."

Did being pregnant make someone mopey? B'run had no idea. "Er... Yeh, they're good fer that." He drawled, nodding once before slowly escorting her towards where Olemuth waited. "You ain't doin' much waddlin'. Yer haulin' 'round another person, figger that's a good excuse as any t'be a bit grumpy." He gave a small smile and patted her hand as they headed towards the waiting bronze. "He's been in a good mood as of late. 'Magine the company o' flits 'as 'elped 'im, too.

Lovely crooned and pressed her head to B'run's cheek. He scratched the little gold's eyeridges and smiled. It didn't take long before Ali, Hush and Brat dropped from the sky and did their best to arrange themselves on his shoulders. Brat, hissing at Lovely and Hush, settled for disappearing to Olemuth's head while tiny Hush wedged in beside Lovely's head and Ali claimed a spot by her tail.

"I'm goin' t'be wearin' clothes of firelizards if they get any bigger..."

Awkward might describe this moment rather well, though Jisralna had never been very good at diffusing such situations. All she was good for, she often felt, was standing about turning different shades of red. But it would turn out that B'run had a bit better idea of how to make light of just such a situation. She gave a bashful smile and gladly turned her attention to Olemuth who was waiting nearby. AS was usually the case when she saw or watched dragons, Jisralna was filled with a giddiness that hadn't seemed to dissipate any in her time at Katila. Dragons brought joy, it was as simple as that and even if she never Impressed she'd be content enough to simply be in the presence of dragons.

"I suppose he likes the female attention. She seems to adore you." She looked up at Lovely and couldn't help but smile as well. Before long, however, she was trying her best not to giggle as one by one, the three greens dropped from the sky and jostled for a place on the dragonrider. By the time Ali had landed, however, Jissy was snorting with her attempts to keep from outright laughter, green eyes sparkling with mirth. Weaver, curious about what was making his mistress so silly and chirped, climbing up to Jisralnas' shoulder, tucking himself beneath her hair. It was probably a good move on the little blue's part because a second later the woman let out a bark of laughter and nearly pitched forward, grabbing hold of B'run's arms.
"I don't think they'd all fit if they got any larger...even on you."

"Yeh, Lovely's a lovin' girl. Not sure what I'm goin' t'do when they're all old enough to rise..." Be exhausted, that's what. He hoped they at least managed to spread them out so he could have some idea of when to send the others away and get some rest between flights. The combination of four fire lizards and Olemuth... B'run didn't expect much rest... Ever. He'd worry about that later. Much later, he hoped.

He scratched Ali's eyeridges and smiled at the little green. Hush, meanwhile, hadn't shut up and had continued chattering away, letting them know every detail about everything ever, complete with images sent to B'run. Everything from rocks to the lake to Olemuth. B'run nodded and scratched her and tried to get her to at least be a little quiet. None of it worked and she kept up her chattering.

Eventually B'run just talked over her. It was easier. "Wot'cher mean even on me? I ain't that big." Okay, he was tall. And broad of shoulder, but he was mostly lanky and thin. The firelizards already looked like they weighed him down and they were still fairly small! He planted a kiss on Lovely's head and earned a nip on his nose in response. He didn't seem to mind in the least.

"They're already 'avin' trouble fittin'. No idea wot I'm goin' t'do when only Lovely fits."

Jisralna had never really thought about firelizards rising though she supposed they did. For a moment she found herself rather alarmed by the prospect. What if it was like a dragon Flight? Green eyes darted from one green to the next until it finaly rested on Lovely. Sensing her sudden unease, her own firelizards converged and the weaver winced as the two browns hissed and snapped at their little blue brother until he made room for them. Talons poked through the thin material of her gown and into her flesh effectively distracting the woman from the rather ominous future of her boys. Surely they would chase any female that rose...and then what? She'd seen what happened to the dragonriders; had experienced it.

Averting her eyes, her brows furrowing slightly, she became somber and jumped slightly when B'run spoke again, seeming to have forgotten that she'd said anything previously. For such a prim and proper young woman like Jisralna it was taking her a bit longer to adjust to the different set of morals that the weyr had adopted. In theory she had accepted them as necessary but hadn't actually adopted them herself. The result was her struggle to comprehend how she could still be considered a valued member of society despite her indiscretions with a man whom she was not attached to. That she would someday succumb to flightlust, a concept entirely foreign to her.

Looking up at B'run she seemed confused by his question for a moment before the smile returned to her eyes. Compared to her, he was a giant and she wasn't exactly the smallest of women, especially now. Yes he was lean but that was changeable. She watched him interact with the little gold and giggled as Lovely nipped him. "You will just have to eat more so there will be more of you to utilize. I am not sure that my boys ever all fit on me." Even as she spoke, Silly hissed at Weaver and tried to jostle the smaller blue where he was pressed up against Jisralna's neck. Reaching up, the woman gently flicked the darker brown on the nose allowing time for Weaver to slip around beneath Jissy's hair to sit on the woman's right shoulder with Gambi who was a bit more amiable. "How do you tolerate their little needle sharp claws? I might have to take to wearing a leather cowl or something of the sort."

"Mos' folks get a leather pad pad fer their shoulders. I haven' had time to get one made." He shrugged. The fact that his shoulders and back were still rough with callous from his childhood helped, but he wasn't keen on admitting that. Or to the tons of small, bloody scratches along his upper arms from where his fair slid and gripped. He'd taken to wearing leather vests to save his shirts a little punishment.

"Eat more? You tryin' make me fat, Miss?" He gave her a crooked grin and gently tapped her with his arm. A crafty wink and he continued walking on as though he hadn't just teased the woman. Really, he was fairly shocked that he had teased the woman. "I eat plenty, thank you. Jes' not enough to put any meat on my bones. Dragonriders are a thin lot by nature, y'know."

Pads, yes that sounded far better than a leather cowl but she rather doubted that either would look particularly good on her. Maybe she could talk to Seijin about finding a way to color the leather so at the very least it might match what she was wearing; or maybe she could even see if he would decorate it for her! Something to protect her delicate skin and the embroidery on her gowns. If it looked pretty that would make it tolerable at least. She smiled, rather liking her plan until she realized that Seijin probably wouldn't have much time to make things for her. He'd Impressed and had to spend his time caring for his darling green dragon. Perhaps she could try and figure out how to work with leather; it couldn't be that much different from working with fabric, could it?

When B'run spoke again, she looked up at him, green eyes wide. The grin, the wink and the nudge. Once again she was blushing, flustered and more than a little confused as to why this man was winking at her. She was disgraced and heavily pregnant after all. "No, I just meant that you could use a bit more meat on you...not that you look bad now. You look handsome...I mean healthy." She finally clamped her mouth shut and fixed her gaze on Olemuth. She must look like a blabbering fool to him now. Silently admonishing herself she decided that she'd just keep her mouth shut; that way she wouldn't say anything stupid.