Logs:Fortunes Present and Future
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| RL Date: 29 November, 2013 |
| Who: Ali, Hattie, Iska |
| Involves: Fort Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Babies, the queen's lack of rising, and E'dre's issues with Fort are discussed by the weyrwomen. |
| Where: Kitchen, Fort Weyr |
| When: Day 22, Month 5, Turn 33 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: E'dre/Mentions, N'muir/Mentions, K'del/Mentions, Nimarie/Mentions, Nehmet/Mentions, Ebeny/Mentions |
| It's that point in the afternoon when the lunch rush is over and the clearing up has taken over half the kitchen, leaving the other half dedicated to preparation of the next meal, leaving none of the cooks, bakers and kitchen staff without a task to occupy them. Making her way past and around the various counter islands, Hattie is weighed down by a stack of hidework that bears all the hallmarks of an inventory, and given her path is from the direction of the Stores, it can't take much to realise what her morning and midday have been occupied by. With a sigh of relief, she set the hides down on one of the tables in the corner of the room, places an empty mug down atop them to weigh them down, then turns to survey the kitchen before slipping into the hustle and bustle to stalk a late lunch. It's the perfect lull for a woman with a young child to sneak in for a belated lunch - although Ali doesn't really /sneak/- as ever she's the proud mama, Iska held comfortably in one arm, pausing to let some of the kitchen staff coo over the young girl wrapped warmly in the multi-colored patch blanket. Right now, it's fast asleep- probably because it's day time. The girl's made her night-time sleep cycle well known, though the goldrider's taken care not to stir the kitchen staff for her late-night snacks. It doesn't take long for Ali to catch sight of Hattie, her gaze tracking the other goldrider with a gleam of a smile, murmuring an apology to the woman crowding around her before stepping away to try and intercept the Weyrwoman. "Ma'am. Would you mind if I join you for lunch?" Somewhere along her journey, Hattie has managed to secure herself a bowl of fried vegetables, a half-cup of soup sat in the middle of the bowl, and couple of bread rolls balanced precariously between bowl and cup. She's on her way back to her table and abandoned hides when Ali intercepts her, and she instinctively darts her gaze to Iska to ascertain the status of the sleeping child before she modulates her voice to a volume designed not to wake her. "If I get cuddles while you find your lunch," she replies, darting her gaze back up to her junior with the tiniest hint of a smile in return. Presumably, she doesn't mean to be hugging Ali (not right now, at any rate). She continues on her journey for those last few steps back to the table, to set down her bowl before those bread rolls escape. "It's a deal." Ali's quick to agree, following Hattie over to the table. With Iska fast asleep and not easily stirred this time of the day, she's quick to offer her to the other goldrider once she's settled; apparently comfortable enough to not be overly clingy. Especially not when she can smell Hattie's food and there's a rumble of her stomach in response. Hattie can't really be all that interested in lunch, or maybe it's just that Iska, even in sleep, is much more interesting to her than the cooling soup-vegetables-bread combination that the Weyrwoman is now completely ignoring. That goes for the hidework too, though it's safely out of range of both food and baby. Settled into that corner of the room, she sits back a little in her seat, her arms snugly and securely around her junior's daughter, her expression one of quiet contentment, despite the audience that might wonder at that look on her features. There's a brief pause for Ali to regard the pair with a chew of her lower lip, her expression a mixture of delight and pride. Her reluctance when stepping away is probably less to do with leaving her daughter and more missing the picture the two present. Her meal is a little more substantial, selecting some heavy stew with a mixture of meat and vegetables, and some fresh bread and cheese with some juice. She sets her items carefully down on the table as she returns, more watching the pair than her food as she reaches for her fork, "You can keep her if you want," she murmurs, probably joking. Probably. "She's nice /now/, but she turns into a wriggly weyrling dragon at night." "N'muir might think I've lost my marbles," Hattie supposes, aiming a wry smile across the table at Ali. "I think he'd get the shock of his life if I came home with another baby. And if she's anything like Nimarie was, I don't think we could cope with that again." And though Iska is being nice now and the goldrider shows no immediate desire to surrender her, she silently asks the question anyway and darts her gaze between Iska and Ali again, in-case she's wanted back right away. "Are you getting any sleep?" she asks, her attention lingering on her fellow weyrwoman. "And what does Isyath make of her?" "It'll keep him on his toes," Ali counters with, laughing at the thought of N'muir's reaction- thoughtfully twisting her fork in the air, "Besides, he's a big softy when it comes to babies. I've seen him with Nimarie and Nehmet." With a brief shake of her head, the dark-haired junior is spearing some of the meat with her fork, as if to indicate her current intention. "Mostly in the afternoon," she says, between chewing. "I- I've been trying to wake her earlier from her day nap in the hopes she'll sleep earlier. It's starting to work but it's going to be a long process. Another few sevens or so and she might sleep like a normal person." At the mention of Isyath, there's an immediate wrinkle of nose as if to wordlessly describe her queen's mood: although Isyath /feels/ content, circling above the Weyr, her rider says, "She doesn't much like the disturbance. Doesn't think the weyrling dragons were /ever/ that noisy- she doesn't remember. It's- hard for her, I think. How- how was Elaruth with yours?" "Him showing off Nehmet /was/ rather adorable," Hattie admits, breaking out /adorable/ while he can't hear her do so. Knowing that she won't have to hand Iska back for the moment, she settles back again and gently adjusts her supportive hold of the little girl. She gives a sympathetic, dubious little lift of her brows around the suggestion of /sevens/, yet she doesn't speak on the subject. "Does she not like sharing you?" she asks, tilting her head slightly. "Elaruth... thinks of my children as... hers too, almost." It's a slow and thoughtful answer. "She believes they're hers to protect and look after. I suppose because she doesn't get to keep her babies, when she'd love to. But then the crying always wakes her up," for Nehmet is still of a wailing age, "and she tries to be /patient/. She doesn't like their distress." "Issy's always been-" Ali hesitates for a moment, like she doesn't want to admit it aloud, and yet, after a moment, she goes on, "-a little selfish. Iska disturbs her sleep. Although if I remind her Iska's named after her- even if she wasn't- that seems to mollify her for a short time." She has the grace to look somewhat rueful for the white lie, in between bites of food, her gaze naturally settling on her daughter. "Issy's... not so much with the patience, and she's- never been maternal, like Elaruth." There's a regretful note in there, very careful and briefly evidenced. "That sounds like a good tactic." The story about Iska's name may be a lie, but it's one that Hattie seems to approve of. "Just be careful that she doesn't try to raise her in her own image, if she believes Iska should take after her," she teases gently, glancing down at the girl herself. She hesitates, lips twisting, then confesses, "It's not... I mean it /is/ nice when Elaruth is on the Sands and she's /so/ content, but then there's the after and she /loves/ them, but they're not hers and she /misses/ them. And we have to celebrate and she just... They're gone. But not." It's quite an emotional admittance for her, and she watches Iska, murmuring, "We're blaming that on /you/ being adorable, okay?" Yes. That's the plan. "...Do you think Isyath is going to rise soon?" she asks out of nowhere, before she loses the will to. "Iska will have to be a lot older before Issy'll pay more attention to her. But, you're right- think I'll need to keep an eye on that, especially once she starts talking." The very idea is kind of bizarre and also something to be anxious about, if Ali's expression is anything to judge by, setting aside her fork in order to take a drink while Hattie talks of Elaruth. After a beat, she says, "But... they're still there. Still hers. Issy doesn't remember much but she remembers Elaruth is her dam, and Mecaith is her sire. It's- nice." Does she sound envious? Possibly, although she's quick to go on as she reaches for some of the bread and cheese, "But I-" and then she goes still, surprised and caught-off guard by Hattie's question. She chews, slowly, and swallows before answering, though her expression is uncertain, "I- don't think so. Normally she- she'll talk to Cadejoth more, before, but- he's been here frequently enough that I don't know if that's a particular sign anymore. Are you- worried?" It's clear /Ali/ hasn't been... at least not until /now/, gaze fixed on the older goldrider. "I know," Hattie murmurs, absently adjusting one of the folds of that blanket. "And she knows, but it... hurts, after. She knows not to intrude too much when they're tiny; I make sure she doesn't." As for either queen rising... /Is/ Hattie worried? Her silence might be an obvious enough indication. "...If this turn passes and Elaruth doesn't, it will be over three turns since her last flight," she says slowly, trying to achieve an even, distant objectiveness. "I had... complete command over her at Boll. I had to make sure she didn't- It might have-" She shakes her head. "I don't know. Maybe she's happy and I'm happy and she doesn't want things to change." Elaruth never has been good with change. The talk of maternal nature of their queens is a topic stowed in favor of the new one, even if Ali's chewing her lower lip uncertainly, though. "Boll was-" almost as soon as she starts, the dark-haired woman stops, taking a slow breath. "I figure- you being sick, and Nehmet, and me with Iska- maybe it's thrown them both off." She likes that idea better than Boll; she doesn't even want to /think/ about that. More chewing of her lip, and then, "No one could fault you for Elaruth's cycle being off, after- after everything that's happened." "Maybe." Hattie's agreement is not so steady a thing as her attempted objectiveness. "It isn't as if our rider numbers are dropping steadily enough to warrant more frequent clutches, and the weyrling complex isn't even completely finished yet, but... I'm not sure that I like us having no weyrlings. Perhaps I've simply got too used to having lots of them around." Relatively speaking. "She's just not showing any interest. Or any of her usual signs. Some of them appear /months/ before. It's not really as if I even /want/ her to, but I just want to know that she... can. Could." She gives a gentle shrug of one shoulder. "But if Isyath's showing no signs either, maybe they're just adapting as the Interval goes on." A moment of silence, before Ali, clearly surprised, retorts: "Of course she can! Why wouldn't she?" Clearly the notion had never occurred to her until now, frowning. "Issy's not, but- even if she did rise before Elaruth, that doesn't mean anything. With everything that's happened-" she shakes her head, pushing aside her plate- her expression easing momentarily at the sight of Iska. "I'm sure Ben and the other weyrlingmasters are grateful for the break," with a little, slightly forced smile. "It might mean something to some people." Though Hattie is more than content to leave it at that, following Ali's attention back to Iska. She spends a long moment looking calmly down at the little one before she silently makes that same offer to hand her back, assuming that Ali will want her returned now that her plate has been moved aside. "Anyway, I'm not sure that Ebeny would be any use as Weyrlingmaster at the moment," she remarks. "And no eggs from either Isyath or Elaruth affords you more time with Iska, which is important." She'll try and find the positive side of things. There's no hesitation this time, and no apology for taking her daughter back; Ali exhales an unintentional breath as she settles Iska against her, a hand cradling the girl's head. "Well, those people can keep those thoughts to themselves, and if I hear them expressed anywhere around me-" the momentary thread of anger is at odds with the gentle way she holds the infant girl. With a brief smile, for the mention of Ebeny, "I went to visit her the other day but she was sleep- think we're on opposite cycles at the moment. I can't imagine looking after two of these at once." With a shake of her head, the junior glances over at Hattie, expression easy as she says, "And you with Nehmet. I'll take it- it's hard with K'del acting as Weyrleader again." There's a slight, amused twitch of Hattie's lips as she notes Ali's anger, but it's likely more that it's so rare or for it not suiting how she cradles Iska than born of the sentiment expressed. "Maybe that explains E'dre's insanity," she mutters, not /cruel/, but certainly disparaging and disapproving, her brows knitting for a moment. As ever, she struggles to speak of K'del and keep her evident dislike of the man from colouring expression or voice, and so she stays quiet until she can manage to reply blandly enough. "Is he hoping to make the knot his again for good?" she enquires. "We could try and make things easier on you. Things with N'muir and I are... changing. If you need to go to the 'Reaches before she's old enough for Between, we could look after her." One assumes she'd check that with N'muir. "Or if he visits... and you want time to just be you." She's /trying/. The mention of E'dre certainly pulls Ali's gaze up, as much as the other goldrider's tone. "What is going on with him and Fort Hold, anyway? Is it E'dre just being- E'dre, or...?" It's obvious even she's aware of what a struggle it is for Hattie to maintain her blandness when it comes to K'del; the offer earns a brilliant smile from the younger goldrider, just for the offer. "I- I think he likes the job. I'm- I'm not sure about that." The hesitation suggests she probably hasn't asked, not directly. "I'll- think about it. It's not that I don't- it's hard to think of leaving her behind," her gaze drops to Iska, with a softening of expression, before her gaze is drawn back upwards, curiously, "What do you mean... /changing/?" she's uncertain if that's a good or bad thing. "I think the Blood must have been rude, E'dre must have been rude, and who knows what's going on now," Hattie sighs, finally turning her attention to her food. She tears off a section of bread roll, wrinkling her nose as she says, "He needs to sort out his attitude, whatever has happened." She rolls her eyes, not bothering to make the same effort for E'dre that she does for K'del, even if the latter is really for Ali's sake. "I know," she agrees more softly, about leaving Iska, but then a funny little smile claims her lips. "Are you going to tell her when she's grown up just how /sure/ you were that she was a boy?" the Weyrwoman teases, right before she takes her first bite of lunch. As for /changing/, it's just as well that she minds her manners and doesn't talk and eat at the same time, since it gives her those few moments to consider her words. "...He's..." she starts to say, then opts for: "It's..." Nope. "Things are a little bit different now." That's safest. Unfortunately, with all the missing information there, it doesn't sound very positive at all, until she lifts her left hand to show the gold band there. "I should- make a visit to the Hold, test the waters. Use it as an excuse to show off Iska." That thought makes Ali smile; any excuse to show her off. As to the reminder of her thinking Iska was a boy, she has the grace to look awkward. "And lose my chance at looking omnipotent to my child? No way I'm telling her, and you'd better not either." Not that Ali's good at looking threatening in any way, finger-waggling included. It's the latter response that makes the dark-haired woman's expression fall, chewing her lower lip as she watches Hattie- expecting the worst until she sees that ring, and then she merely blinks. "I-" confusedly, "What does that mean?" "Just don't mention E'dre," Hattie utters dryly, just barely managing to keep that scorn from her voice. "I'll keep quiet until... Oh, I don't know. If she ends up marrying one of my boys, then you /have/ to tell her on their wedding day or something. That sounds like a pact that mothers of children should have." And on that subject, or along those lines, a measure of frustration enters Hattie's expression when Ali fails to give a name or term to what that ring means and do her a favour, for it means /she/ is left to admit that all she knows is, "Something." How very intelligent. "Something permanent." "I'll make sure to avoid the topic," Ali assures Hattie with a wrinkle of her nose. "I have no wish to suffer the indignity of having to apologize to a Lord." With an exhale of breath- and a look down at Iska- she relents, "Okay, fine. When she gets married to one of your boys, you can out me. You know-" she considers a moment, "That would make us sisters-in-law." It's clear the dark-haired junior likes the idea of that. "But- somehow I get the feeling our children will stubborn enough to want to do their own thing far away." She shifts her hold on Iska slightly, but her gaze is swiftly drawn back with a surprised breath, "Oh. That's- that's good. Isn't it?" It's likely she misinterprets Hattie's frustration, and it confuses her further. "You and N'muir- it fits." "And then we could have our family slowly take over all of Pern," Hattie decides, entertaining that idea with a faraway look. "But, yes, I'm inclined to agree with you. If Nimarie ever decides that she's going to saddle up a runner and go seek her fortune, I don't want to be there when she tells N'muir. I think it would be heartbreaking." Likewise, her gaze is drawn to Iska for a moment, and she murmurs, "Though it's a little too soon to be thinking of her being far away." 'Her' likely meaning Iska, but perhaps her own youngest daughter too. She tears another little bite away from that bread roll, but doesn't do anything more than continue to shred the poor thing. "Yes. I just never thought he'd-" And for just a second, it's plain to see what of the holder girl is left in Hattie. "I'm being silly. It's so simple and-"And she's getting all emotional over it again. She straightens her shoulders and flashes Ali a wry smile that hopefully signals something in the range of 'ignore me' or 'humour me'. "I should collect Nehmet from the nursery and take this lot," the hidework, "back to my weyr. Do you want to come and show her off to the nannies?" "I- it's hard to think of Iska being far away. But I think I- it's something I'm going to have to adjust to. There'll be times I'm sure when K'del will want to have her close, and-" Ali hitches an uneven breath: even if she's trying to adjust herself to the idea, it doesn't mean she'll /like/ it in any way. There's something of surprise in the junior's demeanor, as much for Hattie's expression in public as anything; she reaches instinctively with the hand not not cradling Iska against her, for the other goldrider's own hand. "It's not simple- it's a big deal, and it's perfect, and /right/," she declares. With an exhale, she smiles, "I- yes. I'd like that." "If he tries it anytime soon, I'll floor him for you." In the unlikely event that that would be what Ali would wish. It's that uneven breath from her junior and her need to somehow make up (or cover up) her own emotional display that makes Hattie swing so rapidly to that protective extreme, even if it's just for show. And then Ali threatens to set her off again and that wry smile grows, her fellow goldrider's hand given a quick squeeze as she gets to her feet and prepares to abandon lunch, reaching for that stack of hidework, needing to take action rather than let herself bask in what she knows, but Ali can /say/. "You want to count how many synonyms for 'cute' they use for her..." she starts to say, as she makes to lead off out of the kitchen, lugging her significantly less interesting cargo. "Maybe later," Ali replies, laughingly. There's something uneven in her expression to at Hattie's smile, but in her case it's warm and relieved by measures. "I'll bet it's upwards of ten," the junior's already answering as she stands, carefully adjusting her hold on Iska before falling into pace with Hattie on their way to the nursery. |
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