All references to worlds and characters based on Anne McCaffrey's fiction are copyright © Anne McCaffrey 1967,2000, all rights reserved, and used by permission of the author. The Dragonriders of Pern(r) is registered U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, by Anne McCaffrey, used here with permission. Use or reproduction without a license is strictly prohibited. For more information, visit the Worlds of Anne McCaffrey.
01-06-02: Families
Ista's beach is a prime meeting space for old friends.
You head down the stairs to the beach.
But then M'kan contently admits, "What about seriously?" He blinks a few times and then tilts his head, thoughtfully. However, he seems to think a moment, chuckling. "I know I'll remember that next time, but considering it's been a while since he had time to snuggle up to her, well, you know." Lightly pressing his forehead to the greenrider's, he then adds. "I can't deny him the desire to .. you know.. uhm... nestle up to the prettiest female dragon on Pern." Oops. Did he just say that? With someone closeby to hear? Sure, why not, he didn't see the arrival, right? Right. With his arms tightly wrapped about J'ey, he intones before hrming and scooting them both to the front of the dragons. Or he tries to, anywho.
J'ey shakes his head "Not going to fuss at you to see a healer but seriously you should see one but I know how you get when you are stubborn." M'kan's hugging him and then trying to scoot him around the dragons causes him to fall off balance and to grab at anything to support him, whether M'kan or dragon but he manages to fall to the sand, quite unelegantly and ungainly and he grins up at M'kan and shakes his head. "What did you do that for?" and then he takes in movement on the stairs and his eyes turn and he spots Lydiere and red burns spots on his cheeks and he shakes his head wondering why on Pern Lydiere had to spot his fallingover.
He doesn't seem to say too much at this point but M'kan does lean over and then dusts J'ey off, obviously blushing a little then, "Just so you won't have to ... feel that you can't lean against Tiri cause Xae here came along and took residence briefly at her side?" He offers, thankfully able to get J'ey onto his feet. Looking over, however, he notes Lydiere, and grins, nodding to her and then leans to brush the sand off of the greenrider's outfit.
Lydiere wanders down the stairs from the plateau lazily, whilst Llysereth, above, glides directly towards the water, dipping in to, yet again, experience the weightlessness of flotation. The junior weyrwoman does indeed just catch J'ey's falling over, and although her lips twitch for the briefest of moments, she only smiles, stepping closer, "M'kan, J'ey! Nice day for a sit on the beach, isn't it?"
J'ey glances at Lydiere and studies her, almost looking for an idea of her emotional state and is relieved by words and smile and he grins back as he is helped back up, sand dusted from his outfit "Indeed, we were just remarking on that." He glances at M'kan "you offering your servies as my back rest are you, seeing you cannot manage to keep me upright perhaps not a good idea." He gulps as he realises perhaps the underlying other meanings of his words and scrambles to find something to fill the space with "And Lydiere, how are you and Llysereth this fine day?"
It is but a good thing Llysereth didn't catch his comment, right? But then M'kan blinks a few times at J'ey, looking relatively confused. However, he shakes his head and then reaches to smack his mate's derriere firmly, a mocking glare coming from him. At this point, he silently guides the other to a sitting position in front of the dragons before allowing the other to do the question asking.
Lydiere is nothing but amused by the double entendres in J'ey's comments to M'kan, her lips once again twitching in a mirthful response. "Llysereth's grumpy, and feeling fat, although I really don't think she's all that fat yet anyway. And I'm not so bad, myself." Still pale, still downright skeletal, but smiling, and thus, all can't be too bad. It is indeed a good thing that Llysereth's not listening; she's rather occupied, thankfully, bobbing about with the waves, and creating her own.
J'ey ouches and frowns at M'kan at being treated so summarily and he sits down "SO now you want to make me sit down on my poor abused piece of anatomy" He shakes his head, studying Lydiere and noting she does look happy, though not so well but he nods "Good come and join us then, we were just admiring the water and the weather." He glances out at lylysereth and nods "She is not looking at all maternal or fat."
M'kan had been trying to be gentle about the sitting down part but then he sighs then, remaining quiet before listening from one to the other. Maybe. He mumbles, "Sorry.." He really did try to be gentle, honest. And with that, he tries to blend in with the dragons, and the scenary. In fact, he does a good job, being quiet, that is.
"I'm sure that wasn't really a criticism, M'kan," notes Lydiere, blinking owlishly as she takes the last few steps across the beach towards the other pair, settling herself down a short distance away from them-- she doesn't want to intrude, after all, invitation or no. Digging toes into the sand, the goldrider glances across at the water, and her lifemate therein, "No. But she's paranoid about it. If she thought about it, she'd probably even try and starve herself, to try and get thinner again."
J'ey smiles and pinches M'kan, lightly, on his waist and nods in agreement with Lydiere "It was not a criticism." He frowns and shakes his head "Sorry I forgot you do not like being teased." He sobers his expression and eyes Lydiere and sighs, assuming that her distance is because she still has not forgiven him or likes him anymore and he leans back against the curled dragons "So..." he says more to the air than specificially to anyone.
He looks thoroughly embarrased and then decides the sand and his boots are quite interesting but blinking, M'kan looks between the two, erming, "Riiight..forgot." He mumbles and then rubs the back of his neck, darting from the pinch and then looks to J'ey, pensively. "Thinner?" Abruptly, he turns to gaze upon Lydiere, his nose wrinkled then. "That's not good.. considering she'll have more than one life within her!"
Lydiere apparently remains oblivious to J'ey's sigh; she turns about too late, although when she does, it's with a bright, comfortable smile, entirely relaxed. "More like ten or eleven, even!" agrees the woman, casting a wry glance over her own self-- don't think she's not well aware of the link to her own personal appearance. "Thankfully, it hasn't occured to her, and probably won't, unless someone drops a hint."
J'ey nods "Well we better not talk about it so she does not get any ideas but how very vain." He says blithely, ignoring his green's over vainglorious ways for the moment and he glances at his fingers "Only ten or eleven, that is small is it not?" he queries with slight interest, well least Lydiere is talking to him, his plan to keep her talking about such a good topic, no need to bring up the past. A pat goes to M'kan's leg in apology and then his hand rests on M'kan's knee.
Wisely, M'kan doesn't mention about how fat that gold will get, but instead he merely grins to J'ey and then gazes at Lydiere. Then speaking of her pregnancy would be a sore subject too, tender in fact. "That is certainly small, something larger?" He whispers, making sure Llysereth isn't listen and he manages to keep it between the dragons, J'ey, Lydiere and himself.
"Quite. For a dragon that's usually so sweet and mild, she's frightfully obsessive about her weight, come pregnancy." Lydiere tips her head towards J'ey, although she spares a glance at M'kan in order to add, generally, "Well, she's not likely to have more than fifteen, at a guess, and she's been clutching smaller than that, generally. I wouldn't be surprised if it was somewhere between nine and thirteen."
J'ey grins "Well perhaps..." he trails off seemingly forgotten what he was going to say half way through saying it and shakes his head "Well that is good for me then, don't want a large lot of weyrlings keeping me too busy in my first run of the job do I?" He shakes his head, something bugging him, being on the tip of his tongue but he cannot quite work out what it is he wants to say
M'kan's brow lifts but then looks down at J'ey, speculatively afore hrming to himself and then grimacing mildly, he wisely doesn't mention about weyrlings. He leans against Xaeloth's forearm, absently flickering his finger through the greenrider's hair, expressions pensive for a moment. Looking off to the waters, he manages to once more blend in.
Lydiere gives a broad grin towards J'ey, "Exactly right. Small clutches are good, I'd imagine. I can't imagine what it would've been like before the end of thread, with up to fourty weyrlings per class, and up to double as many classes." Her head shakes: "Seems frightful, really." She glances over at M'kan again, thoughtfully, but closes her mouth, toes digging deeper into the sand.
J'ey shudders and shakes his head "No thank you, too many, seems sad, did they need that many because they died so easily. Thank Faranth we don't have to worry about that any more." He pauses and frowns and shakes his head, eyes creasing with his smile "Tiregeth no one could deny you have a use, even if it is just a decorative one, which it is not, well slightly it is?" He shakes his head again "Poor gold dragons clutching that many"
"Now there's a thought I rather not put into my head... for a good long time." M'kan murmurs softly, almost wincing and then recalls. "I read about that while I was poking through the record room." He won't add - while he was grounded, bored and J'ey was still working. However, he then abruptly caught Lydiere's glance and a slightly wry grin crosses over his lips before he absently chuckles. "I bet they have more than two assistant weyrlingmasters then..." Trailing off, he then falls quiet.
Lydiere wrinkles her nose, admitting, "I don't like the idea of breeding for the sake of replacing all of those killed or dismembered in a way that means they can no longer work. It seems... callous." She glances up, towards Tiregeth, grinning: "Ah, Tiregeth, you're more than just a pretty face, and you never have to get fat. A blessing, absolutely." That grin remains in place at her comment to M'kan-- "Well, true. Many more. But even so."
J'ey nods and stretches "It does seem pretty... ahh base but perhaps that is the way they had to be to survive?" He laughs at TIregeth's reation to Lydiere's words, her rumbling and crooning to the goldrider echoes loudly and he grins, most welcoming he has been and he relaxes and gestures "Come sit and rest Lyddie" he slips into her pet name and then tilts his head at M'kan "perhaps they did have more than 2, would have to do something to keep all those riders busy"
Absently he nods and then glances to the green, momentarily before he chuckles, murmuring more to himself, "She's the prettiest of all dragons." He smiles softly but M'kan blinks a few times before looking to J'ey, "Probably, but it's smaller now... so...."
Lydiere's lips quirk, her head dipping towards the green dragon in a mirthful manner, the weyrwoman hesitating before she slips closer to the other pair, relaxing herself against the sand. "She's certainly very pretty, although I have to admit being biased to another female." A rueful grin is made out towards Llysereth, who huffs through the water-- she's /not/ pretty; she's fat and ugly. "I guess that's all true. I'm just glad I live now, and not then."
J'ey laughs and shakes his head "well I will not hold that against you Lydiere that you might favour your own over my Tiregeth and I must admit that she is looking particularly lovely at the moment" he does not say which dragon he is referring to, not wanting to put his own green in a huff. He winks "Shall we say that our dragons are the prettiest of their colour? least they are different colours, makes it safest does it not." He stretches and leans back, geting comfortable "Indeed this is the life, I am sure this lazying at the beach was not something they were able to do often"
Playing safe. M'kan certainly will admit to one thing -- he prefers Tiregeth. Xaeloth rumbles in agreement with that as he nuzzles the lovely green, content that someone else isn't here to do that. With a soft croon, he is more than content that certain someone has found his own once again. Mik, for the time being, rolls his eyes and then absently flickers his fingers through J'ey's hair. "I'll be biased." A staunch remark from him. "I prefer green.
Lydiere chuckles, wryly, letting sand sift through her fingers. "Oh, indeed. I wouldn't blame either of you for being biased towards a certain green-- it would be wrong of you not to be. There we go, indeed. Tiregeth is the prettiest green, and perhaps Llysereth is the prettiest gold, although I admit, I don't hold much in the idea of being prettiest." She stiffles a yawn, letting the sand run through her fingers: "True. It's nice to just relax, every once in a while."
J'ey laughs softly as Tiregeth croons back, she likes being admire and loved and adored, it is what she does best in life, she wants to be the centre of attention and have many admiring devotees. J'ey shakes his head, wishing his green was not so much of a collector and he eyes Lydiere "How are you Lyddie? Do you get to relax enough?" He shakes his head "Leave the compliments to those who know how to compliment, you just look tired." Ok so perhaps J'ey is not always his suave best.
Considering for a moment, M'kan settles down, watching the two, silently. However, he ponders then and contently crosses his hands upon his lap, or one side of it. Letting out a soft sigh, he then leans his head back to Xaeloth's forearm, absently watching the waves lightly caressing the shoreline. He seems to be quiet, of course, but then that's to allow conversations to occur without him disturbing it.
Lydiere hesitates, as if wavering between waving things off, or speaking truth, and eventually elects, "Tired just about sums it up. Tired, /still/ sick, and just... weary all over. Mind, body, everything. At least now that Llysereth's not proddy I don't have those headaches to add to it all." Lydiere sinks back against the sand, her lips parting to a wry smile of sorts.
J'ey frowns with sympathy "Indeed I can understand that Lydiere, that is always a relif when that is over, with all its ahh.." He breaks off and clears his throat and nods "I am sorry that , well hopefully things will improve when ahh Llysereth clutches? But if the headaches are over could you get more sleep, eat more?" he queries and glances at M'kan, wondering at why he is so quiet, thinking back over his words, wondeirng what he said. worrying.
This is M'kan at his best. Staying quiet. He does feel the glance and looks from the beach watching to peering at the others. Blinking a few times, he assures, "Continue with the conversation, I'm just being quiet.. considering I rather not say something wrong, or get lost in the middle of something and mention a stupid thing." Cheerily, he assures J'ey, "It's nothing you said, honest..." He swallows then but smiles, leaning back into the brown of his, fingers briefly caressing through the greenrider's hair. "Least you don't have any headache..."
"You don't usually say stupid things, M'kan," retorts Lydiere, lazy in tone. "And we wouldn't hold anything stupid against you, anyway." J'ey's comments draw a short, quick smile. "I'm hoping so. The trouble is, I often just feel too nauseous to want to eat, and there's very little to help me sleep. It could be worse, though, and I'm thankful that it's not."
J'ey smiles in agreement with Lydiere "Indeed M'kan, you sure your arm is not bothering you? TIred?" J'ey is a mothering hen to both Lydiere and M'kan and he frowns with worry at Lydiere "That is not good, I am sorry but I doubt there is anything I can do to help or relieve you but if you feel like talking or resting, well M'kan's been bored recently, he would like the company since Angel grounded him." He winks "Oh and if you really feel you can bare me, I would like to see more of you" He leans against M'kan's hand "No headache at the moment, though Tiri can be a big one"
Rolling his eyes, M'kan silently growls under his breath before shooting J'ey a rather wry look, "I've been recently un-grounded, thank you very much! I can be of some use to this Weyr finally." There is a sore note about that subject it may seem and he sighs, "Who you talking to about bearing? Me or Lyd? And I'm not tired!" He is a hint touchy right now, but it soon slides. Uncertain about who he means about seeing who more, M'kan wisely keeps mum about that.
"Congratulations on being un-grounded, M'kan," says Lydiere, with a grin. "And thank you, J'ey, for the thought if not for anything practical you can do. I don't think there's anything anyone can do-- I'll just have to get over it, in my own good time. Probably six months from now, when I get rid of the kid. But company, from either of you, is always a good thing, at any time."
J'ey laughs and nods "Well I am glad to hear you are ungrounded and I meant Lyddie, if she can bear being around me, not you, I know you put up with me." He pauses and smiles "Sorry Mik, I ...." He closes his mouth again and smiles at LYdiere "Perhaps I should keep personal comments to myself." ANd he does just so, not even talking about Lydiere's talk of getting rid of the kid.
An elbow gingerly nudges J'ey lightly, and M'kan intones, "Nevermind that. Spout them when you're around your friends." Shaking his head, he tilts his head, thoughtfully, "Which brings me to one question. Who will take care of the little one... that is, once you gave birth to him or her?" He has to double check, of course.
"I assure you, very little you can say will offend me, J'ey, so you needn't worry about biting back any comments." Lydiere says this with feeling, avering strongly. "Well, you mentioned being willing to have a hand in looking after the sproglet, if you're still interested, M'kan," she adds, eyebrows lifting. "If not, there are a few other alternatives in the wings."
"If there are alternatives, or better ones, you let me know?" M'kan inquires, admittingly and then looks at J'ey, pensively. "What do you think, Jer... think we could take the little one under our wings?" He certainly wants to help, and somehow strive to be father or something.
J'ey grins "Really Lyddie? THere was a time when you did not like what I said or like me I thought." He breaks off at his comments and frowns and looks at M'kan in surprise, quite taken aback at M'kan's sudden interest in children "What brought this on? If you want?" J'ey says hesitantly, bit confused about this, having not much to do with his own child, let alone someone elses.
"It's because I wasn't there when
Lydiere glances between brown and green rider, her eyebrows lifting. "I imagine that's something you two ought to discuss for yourselves," she notes, at long last. "I would, very much, appreciate your assistance-- sharing the load would obviously make it easier for all concerned." She adds, as an asside, "That was different, J'ey, although I admit that I'm ashamed of it now."
J'ey smiles and nods "Just a bit taken by surprise that's all, I did not realise M'kan, you just had not mentioned anything before." He grins at Lydiere "I would be too scared of dropping any babies but I am quite happy to ahh visit the mother." He pauses and then stands "I should go, things to do and it's alright Lyddie, it was not a fun time but I am glad you are not too ashamed to talk to me?" He pauses and smiles at M'kan "we'll talk more about it later?"
M'kan nods quietly but yawns after a short moment, looking clearly embarrassed by that and then he blinks a few times, "Oh right." He looks totally out of it and then sighing quietly, "I think I'll go take a nap."
Lydiere just smiles, nodding towards both. "Visiting the mother is good, J'ey, and I'd never be too ashamed to talk to you. I couldn't give up on one of my oldest friends at Ista, from way back in candidacy, just like that."
J'ey laughs softly and nods "That is glad you could class me as a friend and well I will visit." He pauses and frowns at something and glances at M'kan "Thought youweren't tired" is he teasing or worried. He pauses and then turns "Cannot hang around here all day though" he eyes Xaeloth "Going to let Tiregeth do her duty Xaeloth?" he asks, wondering how to extract his green.
As he gets off his rear too, M'kan then glances over to Lydiere, mockingly. "Thanks, I'm feeling much better now, too..." He chuckles, shaking his head but then clamps his mouth shut abruptly before his foot hits his mouth once again. At this point, he mumbles something about hide work given to him by his former wingleader. "Doubt it... I'm not tired, really.." The brown rumbles, and levels a look at the green's rider.
Lydiere draws her knees up towards her chest, watching them both with a twitching smile. "Good," is all she says, her head tilting into a nod. "Enjoy your days."
J'ey shifts his weight and then using foreleg gets a boost and then easily climbs up the rest of the way and swings leg over to settle behind neck ridge.