Logs:What Best Friends Do
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| RL Date: 11 July, 2014 |
| Who: K'del, Tayte |
| Type: [[Concept:{{{type}}}|{{{type}}}]] |
| What: Tayte comes to hang out with K'del. And discuss the Pod Person version of H'vier. And their daughters. |
| Where: Weyrleader's Weyr, High Reaches Weyr |
| When: Day {{{day}}}, Month {{{month}}}, Turn {{{turn}}} ({{{IP}}} {{{IP2}}}) |
| Mentions: Ali/Mentions, H'vier/Mentions, Ishadel/Mentions, Iska/Mentions, Tahvra/Mentions, Yvalia/Mentions |
| OOC Notes: Mention of miscarriage. Back-dated. |
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| Weyrleader's Weyr, High Reaches Weyr Rank certainly has its privileges, and among them are amply appointed apartments. The short flight of stairs from the Weyrleader's Complex opens up into the larger of two chambers, formally decorated and clearly designed to cater as much to important guests as the occupant's personal living. Old, but obviously expensive, llama wool rugs dyed blue-and-black cover the stone floor, leading towards the second chamber, the stairs, and the rush-filled dragon couch and ledge beyond it. A formal seating arrangement - a sofa and chairs, all blue-and-black - sits around a large, tiled fireplace, whilst along the other wall, a finely made, if now somewhat antique, desk sits between a bookshelf and a tall cupboard to which tack-hooks have been attached, riding gear arranged neatly inside. Two tapestries hung from the high walls depict overdone splendour for High Reaches Weyr, one a long view of the snow-covered bowl, and the other a hazy impressionist piece of dragons flaming over a springtime countryside. The inner weyr, made up of a sleeping cavern and a private bathing area, is smaller and cosier and distinctly less ostentatious. An oversized wooden sleigh bed fills much of the space, the mattress piled high with overstuffed down pillows and comforter, their covers dyed in varying shades of navy blue, light blue and bronze. There's a nightstand on either side, both with reading lamps, and against one of the other walls, a tall, heavy wardrobe made from a dark wood that matches the bed. The bathing area is part of the same cavern, a folding screen shielding the toilet and slightly raised, double-sized bathtub built into the stone, and a small shelf holding toiletries, shaving equipment, and clean towels.
Ulterior motives or no, baked goods are baked goods, and this being one of those evenings when K'del is not down south with Ali and their kids, he's more than happy to spend it with Tayte. That he suspects an ulterior motive is plainly obvious, but the bronzerider doesn't ask; not when the vintner first shows up, not during the first round of drinks, and not even now, as one foot idly waves in the air, slung over the back of the couch. Mention of H'vier draws his attention, if not in a resolutely negative way; he simply raises his eyebrow, and swirls the whiskey in his glass. "He did." The conversation up to this point has been innocuous enough. Mostly about the day to day livings, though of course Tayte asked about Ali and the kids and had smiles for stories about the growing Ishadel. But now the blonde's expression is barely contained nerves. "He said you said you knew he wouldn't hurt the girls." She's chewing her lower lip, and the way she lifts her eyes to his face now silently asks if that's true. "I said..." K'del trails off, though it's difficult to see if he's trying to remember what he said, or if he's trying to determine how best to phrase it. "Reminded him that he'd scared them, and that was just as bad, in my book." It's not entirely an answer, though. He draws his foot down off the back of the couch, now, half turning so that he can put his feet on the floor, though not, it seems, with the intention to stand. "Told him if he ever hurt any of you again - mentally, physically or emotionally - I'd get him transferred. But if you're asking do I believe he's trying to make things right? Seems that way." Tayte's expression changes as she listens, becoming less nervous, more focused and intense. The lip biting stops in favor of lips holding tension without becoming tight. "I think he is." She says this quietly, but sighs soon after. "But my judgment is proven poor where he's concerned. I agree that scaring them is just as bad." There's regret in her voice and her drink is set aside so she can hug her knees. She probably should say something about the girls next, about bringing them home, but what comes out is, "He wants to have another baby, with me, when I'm ready." She swallows hard. "He wants us to weyrmate." And she sounds torn about it. Despite his words, K'del flinches, just slightly, as Tayte delivers her news; a moment later, he smooths his expression, offering a silent apology. "Seems like he's... he's trying. Do you want another baby? To weyrmate him?" His studies her, thoughtfully. "Want you to be happy, Tayte. If you... if this is what you want, won't say a word against it." As long, presumably, as H'vier behaves himself. She doesn't look offended by K'del's flinch, though maybe she expected it. Tayte just looks tired. "Truthfully, Kas?" Because aren't best-friends supposed to be honest with one another? "I don't know that I can go through that again. Losing another." A hand rises to swiftly brush away tears she refuses to let get the better of her. "I wanted it. All of it, before all this. Then all this and everything just feels so broken when I'm not busy pretending hard that it isn't. And it's all muddled up because I do love him." K'del leans forward, now, reaching to try and take Tayte's hand, even if it means pulling it away from those tears. "Yes," he says simply. "I know. But... but Tayte, Tayte, sometimes you need to take risks. To be happy; to try." Who'd've thought he'd ever be the one to say such a thing, when it involves H'vier? "Maybe I don't trust him, not completely, but I trust he's going to try. And I want you to be happy, Tayte. Want you to have everything, because you deserve it." Definitely not Tayte. She's surprised into silence by his words, which helps with the tears too. She moves her startled gaze from his face to their hands and she takes some small breaths in silence. "Things were good before. Maybe they can be again. Someday." The blonde lets her knees slide until her calves loll over the edge of the couch. "Would you really be alright with Vali living in his weyr?" Which would technically be hers too if Vali were living there. "I wouldn't want to do it if it made you uncomfortable." She looks up at him seriously. "And I could be happy not, you know. In time." It may even surprise K'del, now that he's said the words. He doesn't take them back, though, and instead squeezes her fingers, and says, "Does it thrill me, to know she'd be living there with him? No. And, if we're being honest, think you'll find it really difficult, trying to live there with kids... weyrs aren't well designed for children, as a general rule. But," and this is clearly the important part of it, "want things to be good for you. Doesn't mean I won't take retribution, if things go wrong. Doesn't mean I won't be pressing Vali for information to make sure you're not hiding bad things from me." Tayte's nod is quite slow. Perhaps because she's not sure if that was a yes or a no to her question. But she doesn't ask it again. What she chooses to focus her response on is the last remark. "I won't, Kas. You can still ask her, but I won't. It's what I liked least about all of this. I never had to keep things from you before. We could talk about damned near anything and find a way to laugh about it or cry or -- whatever. I don't want to keep anything from you. You're my best friend. You're probably stuck with me that way." Even if it may not be a two-way street. "So I'm not going to. If it's something I feel like I need to keep from you, it's something that shouldn't be happening in the first place." Which should help her judgment, at least. "I still don't know that getting weyrmated is what I want, although it seems sort of silly not to if I'm exclusive with just him and being not exclusive isn't healthy for anyone. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure I don't want to just be done with it all. Some days I think I do. But I love him." And that makes deciding a thing like that and then following through on the decision a very difficult thing. Now she says, "I want to bring the girls back. If anything happens that would mean they'd need to go away again, I'll turn in my journey knot and go with them. I can't be without them anymore, Kas." K'del's expression is solemn, but far from disapproving. "Thank you," he says, simply. "Don't weyrmate him, Tayte. Wait; see what happens. Better for the girls if you don't disrupt their lives more than you need to, if you're not certain. But," his chin lifts. "We can go and get the girls first thing tomorrow, if that's what you want. Don't want you to have to be away from them; not ever again." This time, he squeezes her hand with both of his. "This is what best friends do. Always, okay?" The nod this time is faster, more decisive. It probably answers everything at once. It may have already been Tayte's plan to wait. She is, after all, not always stupid. "I want that." The girls. Her tone is fervent. She shifts so she can lean forward and add her other hand to the pile. "Always." She squeezes and there's a smile, a small one, but more reminiscent of the early days of K'del and Tayte, back when they drank and made orgasm faces just for laughs. She leans back after a moment, withdrawing her hands so she can reach for her glass and the bottle to top off, offering toward his as well, "Now tell me more about Ishadel so I can remember why I don't want to try for another right now." How quickly the memories of the early days of Suck fade in favor of the Better that comes along. |
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