Logs:Agree to Disagree
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| RL Date: 9 January, 2015 |
| Who: K'del, Lilah |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr, Fort Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Lilah and K'del talk for the first time since their argument. |
| Where: K'del's Island, Western Islands |
| When: Day 8, Month 10, Turn 36 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: Ali/Mentions, Azaylia/Mentions, Hattie/Mentions, H'vier/Mentions, R'hin/Mentions, Tevrane/Mentions |
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| Autumn means getting the grapes in before there's a frost; autumn is harvest time. Of course, K'del's too busy to do the work himself - that's what family is for! - but he's not too busy to escape out here every so often, to catch up with his brothers, or just to escape for a few hours. This afternoon is one of those times - or so a query to Cadejoth would indicate; there's enough of a chill in the air that it's far too cold to swim, but K'del has a blanket set up on the beach, while Iska and Ishadel collect shells and play in the sand. The bronzerider keeps a fatherly close eye upon the pair, though it's also true that his gaze turns faraway on a regular basis; deep in thought. Over the last month and a half, roughly, there has certainly been a number of queries against Cadejoth's mind. Soft, distant brushes of flames against chains to check on the bronze from the Fortian queen, but today when she finds him at that isolated island, Eliyaveith almost immediately retreats. It is longer still before she appears in the skies above, more than a candlemark before the large dragon wings her way carefully, but not as graceful as some of her counterparts, to the beach there to allow her rider to slide down. Wrapped up in a soft blue sweater that sets off dark eyes and red curls, overlayed under dark leather riding pants and the same dark leather jacket, Lilah is the very vision of a dragonrider as she dismounts. It is when she catches sight of Iska and Ishadel that she hesitates, clearly not expecting them, her arms crossing and fingers tucking under them while she lingers by her dragon and-- waits. It's likely that Cadejoth has passed on those queries to his rider, though K'del has - apparently - not seen fit to encourage answer. Today, though, perhaps there's a certain inevitability about it; certainly, neither he nor his rider are surprised by arrival of the Fortian queen-- Cadejoth's trumpet of greeting is immediate, and K'del's glance neutral, but acknowledging. "Lilah," he says, voice raised over the sound of the surf, and the laughter of his children. "K'del," greets Lilah in turn, her dark gaze sweeping after Iska and Ishadel for a long moment before she finally steps away from Eliyaveith and towards the Weyrleader and his blanket. Eliyaveith rumbles her own quiet note in response to Cadejoth, even as she settles into a hunched position to wait out her rider, though her interest lingers longer on the children than the her rider's. "I didn't realize-- I wouldn't have interrupted if I knew they were here." "It's fine," K'del reassures, quickly, gesturing towards the empty blanket beside him. "They're happy to play on their own, and I'm happy enough just to watch. We knew you'd come; could've asked you not to, if it were a thing." Even so, his gaze is much more focused on the children than on the goldrider; it's hard to tell on which his thoughts are focused. Silently, Lilah folds herself down onto the blanket beside K'del. Her gaze follows his, at least once she has settled herself with her arms curved loosely over her slightly-bent knees, watching the children before she comments lightly, "I haven't seen your daughter since she was still crawling around. Turns ago, before Ali transferred and even before I Impressed." K'del's smile is automatic and immediate. "She'll turn four, early next turn," he says. "Around the time her next brother or sister is born. She doesn't remember Fort, of course." It's neutral, that last, and in a deliberate way, as if he himself isn't sure whether that can be considered a good thing or not. "I'm told my beach isn't as fun as Southern's beaches. Too cold, not golden enough." "Nowhere is nearly as fun as Southern beaches, or as warm," Lilah replies with dry humor, though his earlier statement certainly has caught her attention. Dark eyes draw away from the children to the Weyrleader's profile, surprise echoed in the sweep of her study. "Congratulations. To you and Ali, both." A pause, before she continues in a murmur, "Mine will know Fort. I couldn't imagine raising children anywhere else, now." Now, finally, K'del glances side-long at Lilah. "Thank you," he says. And, "Mmm. Can't imagine mine not knowing High Reaches. It's-- hard, though. Having kids, given the kind of work we do. Feels like I'm being dragged in a hundred directions, sometimes, and it hurts, knowing my kids see more of a nanny than Ali or I. Love 'em. Can't imagine not having them. But it's hard." "And you have another one coming. That can't make it easier," murmurs Lilah further, quiet as she meets K'del's glance without looking away. "You can always step back as Weyrleader. Let Azaylia choose someone to act as Weyrleader and ensure Cadejoth does not chase Hraedhyth again." There is a brief flicker of a sharp-edged, ironic smile at the corners of the goldrider's lips. "H'vier will be more than happy to take your place." The scoffing, dismissive sound K'del makes is immediate, and heartfelt. "H'vier hit his girlfriend," he says. "He has no respect for women, and no finesse. He'd be pretty much the worst Weyrleader I can imagine... and that's including poor F'rain at Igen." No love lost there, clearly. "No," he says, glancing back towards his children. "Until such time as Cadejoth fails to catch, High Reaches is my duty. It's part of me; it's a sacrifice I have to make." "I gathered that last part, in addition to him having little respect for you," the goldrider replies, though clearly she does not expect that to be a surprise for all that a frown etches briefly at her lips. Lilah shakes her head, dismissive, before she adds, "There is little that you can do about the rest then, if you are going to cling to duty. And I am sorry if I-- made anything worse." Not sorry for what she said, perhaps, but it is a start. "He and I have never gotten along," agrees K'del, with a shrug; plainly, it's not something that bothers him. He's slower to answer the rest, his mouth opening and then closing again once, and then a second time, before he says, sighing, "No, it's fine. You're allowed to believe what you like. Can't... don't agree with you, won't ever agree with you. It makes me sick just to think about it, but... you're allowed to think what you like." There is a slight tension to the line of Lilah's shoulders, though her words are careful and precise even as she replies quietly, "I know that I am allowed to think whatever I'd like. Thank you, anyways. I just meant--." That is cut off with a shake of her head, however, before she returns her gaze back to those children instead as she falls silent. K'del's sigh is sharp, this time. "It makes me uncomfortable, that's all. Knowing that." He stretches out his legs, booted toes nudging at the sand. "I'm sorry. It's just a difficult thing to deal with. We should... just avoid that subject." There is a tip of Lilah's chin in silent agreement, her mumble of "Fine" coming a moment later as if she needs to dredge it up from within herself. But then she continues with a slow, "After all of the talk and the trouble that I've dealt with for being your friend-- The assumptions and everything that goes along with it; I am not going to let something silly happen to destroy it." It's just as K'del opens his mouth to reply that Ishadel begins to toddle towards them, arms outstretched. K'del forestalls answer only long enough to sweep the boy into his lap; then, with a wry laugh, "It'd make your weyrwoman and mine terribly happy, I'm sure, if something like this did ruin our friendship. Too happy, probably. No... don't want to lose your friendship. Okay? So we move on." A smile will have to suffice as an answer, flashed briefly at K'del before the goldrider turns it onto the toddler in his lap with a brightness and warmth that must be reserved only for children, because K'del certainly has never seen this smile of Lilah's. "Hello there, young man. Are you tired of playing with your sister, huh?" she questions with soft tones, reaching to tickle fingertips in a playful gesture against Ishadel's elbow. Ishadel seems, for a moment, torn between hiding his face in his father's chest and staring at Lilah outright; in the end, he seems to pick a middle ground, face half buried except for the eyes that keep out to the side. He doesn't answer, except to give a tentative little smile; K'del nudges him, thoughtfully. "Be polite, Ish." And; "Sometimes he's shy. Sometimes... not so much. Kids. You're still hoping to have one of your own, I guess?" "I-- tried to find a father, but it did not work out so well," Lilah replies to that question, her skin flushing briefly. "But, one day, yes. Soon, hopefully." Her attention remains firmly on Ishadel rather than K'del as she answers. She continues to smile warmly, despite his reaction. "Do you see her?" She points to Eliyaveith where the gold remains. "That is Isyath's sister, you know. They have the same mother." "I hope so," says K'del, in quiet answer to that. No comment on the flush, at least. Ishadel's gaze flicks towards the gold dragon, eyes widening for a moment in presumed confusion-- "Issy?" From K'del: "No, not Isyath. That's Eliyaveith, Lilah's dragon. She's gold, like Isyath." Ishadel's brow furrows; K'del laughs. "Issy's sister," corrects Lilah gently, her smile twitching as she suppresses her own laugh. She does not laugh at the little boy. "Ellie." Because, let's face it, Eliyaveith is probably too big of a mouthful for him. She adds quietly, apropos in some way to the subject, "I am sleeping with R'hin. But I haven't-- He wouldn't want to be a father. Again. The father. We aren't anything more than just--." "Ellie!" Ishadel is triumphant for this; he draws away from his father enough that he can raise a chubby fist to wave - inefficiently - in the dragon's direction. If K'del is surprised by Lilah's words, he has taken pains not to show it; instead, he gives a short nod. "You're just sleeping together. There's always a difference. It'll happen, Lilah. With someone. Give it time." A low croon catches in Eliyaveith's throat, the gold inching forward along the beach until she can snake her head close enough to blow a warm breath over the toddler happily. "I know," murmurs Lilah with a tip of a nod, but there is a deeply buried flicker of pain while she watches Ishadel and Eliyaveith. When she speaks again, it is at least with a change of, "I heard news that the thieves in Nabol were apprehended?" A true child of dragonriders, Ishadel is utterly unbothered by the immensity of Eliyaveith; his laughter edges towards a squeal - high pitched and grating - but only lasts, thankfully, for a moment. His sister, otherwise immersed in her sand, turns to glance back at them, but otherwise makes no move to join the group. "Yes," agrees K'del, quietly. "And by Tevrane's people, not ours, which at least means I don't have to decide whether to execute anyone else." Eliyaveith only seems pleased with that sound, since she huffs another breath over Ishadel before laying her head down next to him, within easy reach of his chubby hands. "I imagine they will go to the mines? Except there was that death--." Lilah doesn't press that thought, her lips tightening briefly as she turns her attention back to K'del with a sweep of dark eyes. "Will the loss of the tithe affect High Reaches?" "Maybe." Pause. "Probably. Not spoken to Tevrane, as yet, but I imagine she's giving it all serious thought." K'del releases his grip on Ishadel so that the boy can reach out a chubby hand towards Eliyaveith, giggling gleefully as he presses it towards her hide. "It wasn't as bad as it could've been. Keogh's tithe-- summer tithe, at that-- isn't enough that we'll starve. Long as we get the rest of it in, you know? We've dealt with worse." The golden queen can be quite still when she wishes to be, and at the moment, she hardly moves a muscle. There is only the flicker of sunlight and warmth extended towards Cadejoth as she shares her amusement of the little thing with him. "If you do not, just let me know. I will take Eliyaveith and terrorize whatever Hold isn't tithing properly," Lilah offers with dry humor. "It is what I wanted to do when Astivan didn't send his tithe, and never got to." Cadejoth is proud of his rider's son; amused, too, by the interaction between him and Eliyaveith. Good boy. Good boy. "Ha," says K'del, laughing. "I'd like to see that. Pretty sure the holds forget just how terrifying our dragons can be, you know?" Ishadel presses his hand flat, drooping against his father as he does so; tired toddler. "Not that I necessarily advocate terrifying them into submission, and yet..." Given just how terrifying her dragon is right now, there appears a hint of a smile at the corners of Lilah's lips. It disappears quickly, as she adds, "It worked for them in the past. We have not always been above reminding them that we ride giant, fire-breathing beasts when they forget." Pause. "Though, we are only thirty-five turns into the Interval. Perhaps that can wait until we're at a hundred, when we really need it." "Less, really, given the whole comet pass," agrees K'del, adjusting his son as the boy begins to doze off. "Better to keep it in reserve. I should-- get these two inside; seems like it might be nap time. We'll catch up again soon?" "Of course," agrees Lilah in a murmur, a frown catching at one corner before it disappears again. Nevertheless, the goldrider pushes to her feet from the blanket, wiping at invisible grains of sand on her pants even as she adds in an offer, "Clear skies, K'del. And enjoy your time with your family," before retreating to her dragon's side to make the inevitably climb back up. "And to you," agrees K'del, scooping Ishadel up in his arms, though he waits to move further than that until Lilah is gone; the son may be asleep, but the father will certainly see the Fortian pair off. |
Comments
Tela (18:07, 11 January 2015 (EST)) said...
Issy and Ellie. :D
People with a deep down disagreement managing to bring their friendship back, that's not something we get to see every day. Also, no executions by us! Yay! I'm sure Solith would be ultra helpful if we did get to do terrifying, though...
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