Difference between revisions of "Logs:Accidental"

Things were going so well. Three-almost-four months of practically bliss. They looked like a functional relationship. They acted like they were in a functional relationship. Could it be that H'vier and Tayte finally get their happy ending? Of course not. There's always something to gum up the works. Out of nowhere, with no greenflight prompting it, Tayte's been avoiding him. It's more subtle this time than the last, she always seems to just be too busy to talk, and she's even been blowing off their usual boot-knocking dates. 'What gives?' is a good question to be asking.

It's possible, that when H'vier comes into Snowasis tonight that Tayte might have asked to work a double just so she wouldn't be off come two in the morning when the late crowd starts to filter toward bed. But, no luck. Tonight, for some crazy reason, everyone wanted to work their shift. So it's with a resigned look that she takes off her apron and steps out from behind the bar, half looking like she expects to be pounced by the bronzerider laying-in-wait with his drink. The glances she directs towards him are furtive, and yes, she starts trying to weave her way through the patrons exiting to make her own exit toward the inner caverns.

He's watching her when she tries to slip out and she's not going to get very far. H'vier is a big man. He knows how to get people out of his way. Without punching them, even. He follows as soon as he downs the rest of his last drink. "Tayte, I'm going to get upset if I have to chase you down," he warns her casually as he trails her a few people back, clearly unconcerned with how they feel about whatever he says.

"I thought the thrill of the hunt was part of the allure," Tayte returns over her shoulder, not slowing of her own volition, but enough bodies make it difficult for her to slip through without having to rub uncomfortably up against some of the bar-goers (or in this case, leavers), so she's soon within arm's reach.

"I thought part of our deal was that I wouldn't have to hunt you down. I get to be lazy and comfortable. And you don't turn me down like some random piece of ass." H'vier definitely has a way with words. When he gets close enough to touch her, he reaches for a loose hold on her arm to pull her closer. To make sure there aren't any people between them. And then he puts his arm around her shoulders. "Now then."

Now then. Tayte's resigned. Once H'vier has his hand on her arm and she's propelled back the pair of steps it takes to be taken under his arm, she knows there's no easy escape. His words or perhaps something else, have her cheeks coloring. "Could we-- go somewhere else?" She proposes, though without apparently, any specific suggestion as to where.

"I didn't plan on staying here," says H'vier, like that should have been obvious. "Where do you want to go? Your place?" It's the easiest place to get to that has a modicum of privacy. "My place?" Okay, so his vote is on somewhere they could probably end up naked. Surprise, surprise. But he'll still suggest, "We could get some klah, if you want."

The blonde seems to weigh all of the options carefully. Then suddenly, "Will you come to the nursery with me? Just for a minute?" Maybe Yvalia's there. What other reason could Tayte have for making such a request.

Something in H'vier's face falls slightly. It's barely noticeable. It was probably the hope he had of getting laid tonight. "Sure," he says anyway. Because going to the nursery for a minute is better than going home to hang out alone for the rest of the night.

To her credit, Tayte doesn't try to slip away in the walk to the nursery, but neither does she speak. She greets the nanny on duty by name and without explaining to H'vier just what they're doing there, promises the woman their quiet, and the blonde leads him not to where the older tots sleep when overnights are necessary, but to the cradles where the wee ones are tended when their mothers are unlucky enough to have night duties. Fortunately for the pair of adults, everyone seems to be asleep, and serenely so. Tayte pauses by a cradle and resting her head on H'vier's shoulder, she sighs softly, her body pressing lightly to his.

He doesn't ask any questions right away but it's obvious that he has no idea why they end up standing amongst sleeping babies when that's where they end up. H'vier isn't a man that does subtle very well. Assuming this could be considered subtle. And it's not that he doesn't like the way she presses against him, but he seems a little confused. "What're we doing here?" he asks, almost a whisper.

"I just... I needed to come see them." Tayte's alto stays a low murmur and the nod of her head seems to indicate the whole group. Babies. Beat. "Don't you think it would be nice to have one?" Nevermind that he already told her he thought that was a bad idea. She looks up at him with an uncertain expression, biting her lower lip. Probably she's just worried about pushing the issue. Right? That must be all there is to it.

His expression is still vaguely confused but H'vier looks at the sleeping babies. He's possibly not as affected by them as Tayte and he might look a little wary of the nearest cradle. "Of course they look nice here. They're all sleeping and not fussing and keeping you up all night. We've already talked about this, Tayte." He's starting to get some idea of why she might have brought him here. It might not be the right idea, but it's something!

"I know. But can't we talk about it again?" Tayte's voice, still soft, suddenly is smaller, pleading gently, but with some hard-to-identify edge. "Wouldn't you like one?" As if they were picking desserts off a tray. She wheedles, looking up at him and blinking her big blue eyes. This is the same as convincing him to buy her a new dress, right?

The bronzerider is starting to look just a little bit annoyed. Maybe not even so much from the wheedling as he is from having to keep from responding too loudly. "We don't need to talk about it right now. Especially not right here. Come on," he says, starting to turn back to lead them off the way they'd come. Away from the sleeping babies.

Briefly, Tayte's expression is pained, hurt in some way by the bit of annoyance in his expression. "Okay." It could be for either, but the way she's chewing her lower lip as she lets him lead her away from the infants, it's a better guess that the okay is for not here. The now? Well, once they're out of the nursery. "You don't want one even a little bit?" Clearly that 'not now' part isn't working out for H'vier.

"I don't know, Tayte. I haven't given it a lot of thought. I haven't wanted to give it a lot of thought." H'vier definitely doesn't like being reminded that he has emotions that he probably views as weakness. "Why are we even talking about this again?"

"You wanted to know why I've been avoiding you." Well, he didn't actually say that. But from the fact that he made it impossible for her to avoid him tonight, it might be a logical enough assumption. Tayte isn't done though, because even if he doesn't understand why they're talking about it, they are talking about it, "Would you think about it? Now?" Right now. Or so she seems to mean from the way that she's looking at him as they walk.

"You've really got to stop avoiding me. It's not like you can keep me away forever. And if that's what you want, I'm not sure why we're doing this in the first place." H'vier's tangent makes it easier to push off the baby talk for a few moments, at least. "Why do I need to think about it right now? Are you pregnant or something?" The way he says it, he's definitely not expecting her to say that she is, granted. If she was, she would have told him by now. Obviously.

Silence. Guilty silence. And she's not looking at him. Maybe she just feels guilty about forcing H'vier into yet another baby talk. That could be it, right?

He stops and she's going to stop with him. H'vier turns to face her and tries to turn her to face him in turn. "Tayte," he says, though he doesn't go so far as to force her to look at him. He just sounds serious. Seriously worried, maybe? "You're not pregnant, right?"

Tayte sucks in breath and holds it as she stares at his chest, cheeks already coloring to rose. She could lie. She could tell him no, and let him think everything's alright and then-- ... Well, then what? Surely, even H'vier who can sometimes be so stupid would figure it out when she had a squaling infant stealing breast-time from him within the turn. If she got that far. If. Her expression is a mask of worry now, and she's biting her lower lip hard. Lost in thought, she might've forgotten he even asked, might've forgotten where they are and what she's supposed to be lying about. It's far too late to be convincing even if she could reasonably go that route, which she can't. She's missed her window for a pithy reply and laugh that could put the matter to rest for a few months. She sighs, meeting his eyes, but doesn't answer the question. Is that answer enough? Does she have to say it?

"Fuck." This first impulse probably isn't what Tayte wants to hear him say. That doesn't seem to be a concern of his at the moment. "Fuck, Tayte. Why haven't you fucking told me!" If he thought about that for a moment, H'vier would probably have a pretty good idea. But he's not thinking right now, that's the problem.

Aaand now Tayte looks miserable. Havi can only look for a second though, because she's tearing out of his grip and making a run for the nearest open tunnel. Clearly, this is going well!

H'vier is surprised enough by her running off that it takes him a few moments to do anything but stare after her like an idiot. Then he's moving, jogging after her. He's cautious, though, like she might possibly explode if overtaken too quickly. But when he calls after her, he sounds legitimately concerned. "Tayte. Darling. Please. You shouldn't be running like this. I'm sorry."

Once she thought she lost him, she did start to slow. His surprise gave her enough of a head start that she thinks she's free once she rounds the corner. So when he starts to catch up and she hears his voice, she seems poised to take off again, but something-- probably the tone more than the words itself have her not only not running, but also stopping and turning, leaning back against the wall of the tunnel to catch her breath. Tayte is not an athlete. Her eyes are glittery in the glows, but who can blame her for the tears? At least they're not flowing now.

Being a dragonrider keeps H'vier in good shape. He's not even breathing hard when he finds her, the bastard. He doesn't say anything, either. This is probably a happy accident more than anything else. He just comes up to her to wrap his arms around her and hold her. When he finally does say something, it's just, "It's okay."

"I'm sorry." Tayte half-blurts. "I didn't-- it wasn't on purpose." She feels the need to defend. "I know you didn't want--" She seems to have trouble finishing any of these sentences, "And I'm not really ready--" Then she looks up at him helplessly. Because he might not want and she might not be ready, but... well, accidents happen.

"Shh," says H'vier, trying to be calming despite whatever might be going on inside of his own head. He kisses her forehead and thinks for several moments before saying anything. "We'll figure it out. Okay? Everything will be fine." He even sounds like he believes it, whether he does or not.

"What's to figure out?" Tayte can't help asking as she leans back in his arms to look up at him. "I'm pregnant. That means, unless--" And she can't say it, so she goes a different route, her tone turning resolved. "We're going to have a baby. I'm going to take it easy from the start. I'm not going to travel. I'm not going to drink. I'm not going to do anything that might--" Again, she can't finish. So. She leaves it.

"We're going to have a baby," says H'vier, ignoring her first question in favor of focusing on that. That's much more important. "We're going to have a baby and everything will be perfectly fine. I'll make sure of it. I promise. Okay?" For the guy that was swearing about her being pregnant not so long ago, he's turned around pretty quickly now that it's had time to sink in.

"Havi," Tayte starts after a moment of staring up at him. How badly she wants to believe! "If--" Beat. "If something goes wrong," this comes in a rush of words, "It won't be your fault. Sometimes we can't control things, and--" She doesn't have anywhere to go with that, so just, "It wouldn't be your fault." That's important enough to repeat.

Yeah, that's not really something he wants to hear right now. He'll probably think about it later. He'll probably think about it way too much later. But right now he just shakes his head. "Don't think about that. I can probably get some extra free time to help you with things. Especially when you get bigger." He sounds like he might even be looking forward to that.

Tayte looks at him, a long moment. Then she lifts up onto her tip toes to wrap her arms around his neck, looking to press a kiss to his lips, though with their height difference, as ever, he'll have to be willing for it to work. Whether it does or not, her next question is something that might be unexpected. "Can you be tactful?"

He's not going to just leave her hanging. If they were somewhere more private, it probably wouldn't have taken this long for him to try it himself. Her question does give H'vier pause, though. For one, he needs to figure out how what he said wasn't tactful. Is that even what she's talking about? "When the baby gets bigger?"

"No, in general. Can you be tactful? And non-aggressive? Maybe 'diplomatic' is the word I really mean. Can you be diplomatic?" Tayte finds a better way to describe it. "But if you call me fat when I'm bigger, even Faranth won't be able to help you." This is said with a trace of darkness that isn't playful. "And I swear I will find a way to nail your ass to the Red Star if you fuck any other women while I'm carrying your child." She grips his shirt with a fist. There is something in the pregnancy fine print about mood swings...

"Diplomatic about what?" is the first thing he thinks of to say. "I mean, yeah, I can be diplomatic." Clearly, H'vier just chooses not to be most of the time. "What does that have to do with anything?" The rest, well, he probably could have assumed that much already. He doesn't even ask if flights count right now. See? Totally tactful.

"Well." Tayte takes a deep breath. "If I'm not travelling," And she's not. "Once the new WeyrVintner arrives, if I ask for a leave of absence until the baby is born, I'm going to need someone to take my letters to my master back at the Hall and be tactful and diplomatic." And apparently pregnancy has made her insane enough to think H'vier might be a good choice for this task. Anger apparently vanished as quickly as it came. Go figure.

"Isn't that what your letters are for?" H'vier pauses and refocuses. "Yeah. Okay. That's fine. I'm perfectly capable of holding conversations with other adults without punching them in the face. I haven't done anything that bad for awhile, anyway." Probably, like, weeks. "It'll be fine, Tayte. I promise."

"Yes, but--" Tayte starts but then decides now isn't the moment to explain, so she shakes her head. That's a problem for later. She takes a breath and steels herself. Looking up at him, she dares to ask, "Are you sure you're okay with this?" At least she doesn't say 'I can do it on my own, if you want.' So that's something, right?

"Yes. I'm okay with this." That's all that H'vier is going to say about that. "Do you want me to stay with you tonight?" Miracle of miracles, that doesn't even seem to be suggestive or laced with ulterior motives.

"Would you?" Relief shows on Tayte's face as he poses the question and her hands shift to try to find his fingers to lace into. "I was-- afraid. That you'd be angry with me." She laughs now, though, even if it's still a little nervous.

"Of course." Especially when his other option is a cold bed with no warm female in it. H'vier smiles at her, squeezing her hand gently. "I'm not angry with you. I promise." That doesn't mean he's not quietly freaking out on the inside. But she doesn't need to know that.

If she knew, and maybe she guesses, she might relate what the last seven has been like for her. But though they've become more intimate, the things they don't say speaks volumes about them. "My place?" Tayte asks, stepping toward the bowl, keeping the fingers of one hand twined with his while the other slips free.

"I like your place," he admits, moving along with her as she steps out, letting her lead the way in some sense. Mostly because his gaze is fixed more on her than their path.

Now would be the time that it would be appropriate for Tayte to laugh and say something light. To make things less heavy, less intimate. To make some crass joke about why he likes her place, or what they can do when they get there. But instead, as they walk toward the bowl, "Havi?"

He's already looking at her, so H'vier keeps doing that. "Hmm?" he rumbles, finally turning his head to glance at where they're going.

She takes her opportunity when he looks away from her. Maybe it's less terrifying that way. "I love you."

Unfortunately for Tayte, H'vier looks back at her when she says that. He even stops for a few moments, keeping hold of her hand so she has to stop, too. There's a grin under his scruff and he leans in to kiss her before murmuring. "I love you, too, biscuit." Not the right time to try out a new name?

"Biscuit?" Her nose wrinkles. Of course that's what Tayte would choose to focus on out of that. It's easier that way. But at least she returned his kiss, and with appropriate feeling. And stopped, not that she could help that part. "Keep trying. And baby momma is not an option." She clears that up right away. But it has her smiling broadly, some of her weight of her worry slipping of her shoulders and back to the world where it belongs.

"Damn, woman. You're so picky," he says. It's obvious teasing, though. H'vier moves them along to continue to her room. It's warm and comfortable there. Which is what he'd like to be right now.

Tayte's feet are fleetly answering the desire to be warm and comfortable, and most importantly alone with him right now. She's all worded out for the night though, so further expressions of any kind are sure to be non-verbal, which... given all the things they didn't say, and all the things they did, may be best for all.