Logs:The Great Transition
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| RL Date: 3 November, 2014 |
| Who: Weylaughn, Lauweina, Heywani, Ulahaun |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: In which matters are finally situated and moves are made. |
| Where: Seven Echoes Hold |
| When: Day 27, Month 11, Turn 35 (Interval 10) |
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| "How did you like it?" Weylaughn angled a look at his three half-siblings. Lauweina, Heywani, and Ulahaun were still bundled in the clothing they wore to the Weyr and their replies were a muffled mix of ambivalence and indifference. "Seriously, now. Because I've no other ideas where the lot of us are going to go." Ulahaun huffed out a breath. "It's too cold. Can't we go to Ista?" "Yeah. If we just wanted to stay cold," Lauweina chimed in with an audible sneer, "we might as well stay here." "Why do we have to leave, anyway?" Haun grumped. "Because your father doesn't-" but Weylaughn pulled up short and looked away. "Your father," he tried again, "is too busy and can't rightly afford a nanny to watch after you." "But he's keeping Paul," Lau pointed out. "Paul's his heir." Lauweina narrowed her eyes. "Why don't we just go to Crom? You're Lord Aughan's heir, aren't you?" Weylaughn drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "No," he said. "I am not." "Why not? Mum was saying you are. Mum's never wrong." Haun tilted his head. "Mother-" Weylaughn pressed onward into the Hold, motioning for the gaggle to follow. "We are not going to discuss that. Do you like the Weyr? Did you enjoy playing with the dragons in the snow?" "Yay!" Heywani's lone contribution was enough to warm Wey's heart - just a little. "Fun! Dragons are fun." "Good. I'm glad at least one of you enjoyed it. Wani, hold onto Lau's hand like a good girl - there you go. All of you need to get packed up. I'd like to be out of here in a sevenday or two." "Why?" "Why? Because I need to train Pulhaun's new Steward and that'll take some doing." A lot of doing, in truth, but Weylaughn wasn't about to do more than the bare minimum. Not now. Lau wondered, "Why doesn't Paul do it?" Because Paul's a hopeless moron, Wey thought. "Because Paul's learning other things," Wey said. "That's stupid," Haun chimed in. "I know. Now, c'mon. Start packing." Lau frowned. "What about Mum's stuff?" "I'm taking care of it." "Can I have her jewelry?" "Not yet." Not ever, Wey thought. He wasn't even sure what he was going to do with the trunks and trunks of stuff that the woman had accrued over the turns. It turned his stomach to consider how much money was sunk into the heaps and heaps of things that he knew she never wore. "Go on now," he said aloud and ushered them into the Hold toward their chambers. Weylaughn spent the next sevenday buried in his duties - and training Juvaul. He was one of Pulhaun's numerous cousins and, Wey decided, was the smartest of the lot - which wasn't saying much at all. The man could make a fine Steward someday, but it certainly wouldn't be within the span of two sevendays - or twenty, for that matter. Wey did his best. The kids were pretty good about getting their things together. Heywani didn't understand, but she was too young and he worried most for her. She was young. She would adapt. But he worried all the same. He considered the scant handful of betrothal proposals for Lauweina - and threw them all away. She might be a terrible brat and a headache on top of that, but she was still young. Perhaps in a few turns. Perhaps. But, at the Weyr, he suspected she'd be happier there. There were more girls her age, more boys her age - more things to learn and see and do. Maybe she'd settle there. He could only hope. And then there was Ulahaun. Cunning child that he was, it wouldn't surprise him to see the boy transfer to Harper in a few turns. He'd do well there, he imagined. But what of himself? He didn't want to think about it. Just like he didn't want to think of the trunks and the rest of Mother's clothes, or how much (or little) was left of his supposed inheritance or, or, or... He lost himself in wine. Two sevendays stretched out into three and he had ceased to care about anything at all. Only the wine. Nothing but the wine. Food was forgotten; all he could ever need he found in the bottom of a glass or in the belly of a bottle. By the start of the fourth sevenday, he had no choice but to care. Pulhaun had locked up the wine - and there was no easy way to get more. There was no need for the Holder to tell him to go. Weylaughn was ready to leave. After a day spent being miserable in the baths, an idea struck him - and it was cunning. He dressed and hastened to Mother's quarters to tend to the nightmare that awaited him. He burned the letters. All of them. The ones she forged, the ones written to her by a bevy of lovers over the turns, the ones she probably wrote to herself to sooth her ego - all of it was gone. All of the trunks were packed tighter than before with all the miscellaneous bits that he was able to gather together. Jewelry and perfumes, essential oils and hair combs. So many lovely things that should, by rights, belong to her daughters - but one was gone, another too young, and the third cared little about girlish things. If there were consequences, he reasoned, he would suffer them later. By the time he was done - which took the whole span of three frenzied days - Weylaughn had more than enough to load two poor dragons down. Two blues, true - and one was the Istan, who proved to be a fine fellow all around - but two dragons were needed to handle the rather awkward load of trunks. Not just Mother's things, either; his, Lauweina, Heywani and Ulahaun's things. The hop to High Reaches Weyr was both short and impossibly long. He didn't spare a backwards look for the Hold; it was gone. History. And he wanted nothing more than to look ahead. On the ground, he was able to cajole one of the assistant Headwomen to lend him a large room for a few days until he could properly speak to the Headwoman herself. Trunks were shuttled to the temporary chamber and, while the children settled in to meet the other children and the nannies, Weylaughn soothed his nerves with a draught of wine. And of the other trunks? Someone in the stores would be in for a pleasant surprise - and that thought was enough to draw a satisfied, if lopsided, smile to his lips. |
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Comments
Edyis (19:21, 3 November 2014 (EST)) said...
Poor Wey! Still it's good to see he has his head about him. I especially enjoyed seeing how his siblings are dealing with the changes!
Azaylia (20:21, 3 November 2014 (EST)) said...
Oh ho! Wey's pretty damn clever, even if he likes the wine a little too much. Then again, who could blame him? Super excited to see how they fair at 'Reaches. :D
Alida (20:45, 3 November 2014 (EST)) said...
You go, Wey! Good for him!
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