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26-07-02: Pass the baby
Invariel, rather nervously, meets baby Llysah.

You stride east to the Living Caverns.
Invariel walks in to the Living Caverns, sweat beading down his forehead. A quick glance about points him to his destination: the serving table. He heads over, offering a nod or a wave where necessary, and fills his tray with delicious foods. He then glances about, looking for a free table, or a hospitable seat.

Lydiere's stride is quick, as she enters from the bowl, moving directly towards G'wain without even a glance at the serving table. "Give me the sproglet," she commands, "Llysereth says that Elnereth's rider needs to speak to you urgently, and I'm quite sure she doesn't need a baby there in the meeting." Llysah is exchanged from father to mother, as G'wain leaves the Caverns quickly, and Lydiere finally turns to actually glance around. "Oh, hi there, Jessamy." Invariel, too, is given a nod of greeting as she turns, taking a seat.

Jessamy nods, something like a smirk on her lips. "I sure do. Almost too well," she adds, dryly. She assumes her former position, hand propping up her head. "Mmm, yup. Still you 'n Lyd, though I'm also doing stuff of my own invention now. Gave me a place to start." A few more words are exchanged, then... there's Lydiere. Baby changes hands, G'wain vanishes off into the distance, almost before the tired cook can register. "Hm? Oh! Good evening, Lydiere. Ma'am." The proper words are hard to come by this late at night. Invariel catches her eye as he comes in, and she manages to raise a few fingers in greeting to him, as well as a smile. The klah is starting to wear off.

Invariel manages to look up quickly enough to catch the wave, but not the nod. He walks over, slowly, noticing Lydiere and the child as well, and sees G'wain head hurriedly toward the door. A nod is returned to Jessamy, and, once he arrives, he says, "Good evening Jessamy. Lydiere. How are the two of you tonight?" Scrunching his face to redirect some of the sweat, he quickly asks, "MAy I join you both?"

"Fardles, loose the 'ma'am', will you, Jessamy?" Lydiere settles down into her seat, readjusting Llysah so that the baby sits comfortably in her arms, "It isn't as if you don't know me, and need to worry about being blasted for a lack of respect." One of her hands is pulled away from the sproglet to wave Invariel over, agreeing, "Do, indeed. I'm well enough, for myself. How're you?"

"Sure thing, boss," Jessamy murmurs, with a flash of a smile at Lydiere's admonition. "I'm too tired to be polite, anyhow. Blasted insomnia." After a moment's consideration she picks up the stack of papers that she had left on the table, and bends to tuck them away in a bag at her side, knowing the odds of getting any more writing done are very slim indeed. That task accomplished, she turns her attention on the newcomer to the scene. "Yes, go right ahead Inve. I'm doing all right, here, though I'm lacking a certain something in coherency."

Invariel takes a sea:manages to get his tray safely on the table before brushing a hand across his brow, clearing a wave of sweat. "Insomnia? Why haven't you been sleeping, Jess?" And then, he addresses Lydiere. "G'wain mentioned something about me helping you two with the child." Looking at the sproglet, he smiles. "For the life of me, I can't remember the name." And then, he rolls his eyes. "I can't stand remembering names. Terrible with them."

Lydiere's smile is understanding, as she nods slowly to Jessamy. "Insomnia I can understand. Though, I admit," she jiggles Llysah cheerfully, "I'd rather that than feedings every three hours, I have to say." She stretches out her legs beneath the table, setting Llysah comfortably within her lap, although she's careful to keep the child's head supported. "Oh, did he? That's right, he did mention that. Llysah," she adds. "Her name is Llysah - though sproglet works just as well."

Jessamy just gives a brief shrug. "Don't know, Inve. Just... haven't been. I lay down, and the instant my eyes are closed, mind starts whirring and won't shush up enough for me to sleep." Lydiere's comment is greeted with another smile, and a rather fond look at the baby she holds. "Yes, I remember that. When my sister was little I sometimes helped mum and dad out with feeding her in the middle of the night... and that was just feeding her once and a while. But it's clearly worth the burden." She adds, the last word nearly cut off by a yawn. After a moment more of half-listening to the others, she pushes up from her seat with a shake of her head. "I think I'm going to go try sleep out again, see how it sits with me."

Invariel nods agreeably to Jessamy. You sound like you need the sleep. Maybe tonight, you will." To Lydiere, "Llysah? Llysah. I'll do my best to remember that."

Lydiere lifts a hand after Jessamy, murmuring, "Best of luck with /that/." She turns her head back towards Invariel, and smiles. "Good. Poor sproglet will have a hard enough time knowing what her name is, since few people end up calling her by it. You have any experience with babies?"

Lydiere's stride is quick, as she enters from the bowl, moving directly towards G'wain without even a glance at the serving table. "Give me the sproglet," she commands, "Llysereth says that Elnereth's rider needs to speak to you urgently, and I'm quite sure she doesn't need a baby there in the meeting." Llysah is exchanged from father to mother, as G'wain leaves the Caverns quickly, and Lydiere finally turns to actually glance around. "Oh, hi there, Jessamy." Invariel, too, is given a nod of greeting as she turns, taking a seat.

Invariel shakes his head. "None. It was one of my reservations when G'wain asked for my help." Wiping a bit more sweat from his brow, he takes a deep breath. "It will be quite the experience."

Lydiere's expression turns, briefly, rather overprotective, as she grasps the child in her arms slightly tighter. "It will be that," she agrees, after a faltering pause, smile growing again - if somewhat tentatively. "Do you--" she pauses. "Want to hold her?"

G'wain has a knack of entering the room when his name is said. "And it was one of the reasons why I asked him to help out." Grinning, he encourages the guard to hold the child. "I had no experience with kids, either. And Lydiere's a good teacher. We'll soon have all the Weyrbrats running after you, don't you worry, Inve." Moving to sit next to his 'mate, he shares a smile. If Lydiere's overprotective, G'wain isn't protective enough - this one'll have the fun time playing her parents against one another.

Invariel blinks, and snaps back, quickly upright in his seat. "Err---" A blink, and a breath. "Are you certain that it's safe? I woud be safe?

Edit: "Are you certain that it's safe? I wouldn't want to be responsible for harming your child." Looking at G'wain as he re-enters, he says, "Hello G'wain. The only weyrbrats that will be running after me are the ones that are being trained."

Lydiere responds to G'wain's smile somewhat uncertainly, though she releases her overprotective grasp upon Llysah to offer the child to Invariel. "It should be fine," she promises. "Just support her head, and don't drop her or anything. If G'wain, the klutz, can do it, so can you." This doesn't stop the concerned expression upon her face. "Oh, G'wain - Keidire's got to go to his father again, next sevenday sometime. He's not impressed that we kept him for Keid's turnday." She grimaces at this, her head shaking.

Invariel holds his hands out rather awkwardly, in a manner which looks like it might, but probably won't, manage to hold the child. "I'm afraid of dropping her. I'm more afraid of hurting her in some way I can't detect."

G'wain wraps his arms around Lyd as the child is relinquished, and leans over to kiss her cheek affectionately. "If I can do it, anyone can do it." And that's the truth. "Yeah. Just support the head well, because the healer said that the bones are still developing there, and they're soft." To Lydiere, he nods his head. "I'd figured that..." He seems a little disappointed. "But it can't be helped."

Lydiere reaches out to readjust Invariel's arms, laying Llysah within them once she's satisfied. "Just hold her like that, and she'll be fine." Llysah even opens her eyes, and coos slightly-- her eyes are still blue, and she's pretty much bald, but she's turning, well, slightly cute at least. Lydiere, though her posture remains tense, leans back int to G'wain's embrace, smile somewhat hesitant. "I know it can't. And at least we got him for his turnday. Still can't believe he's ten already."

Invariel gasps suddenly as the weight of a child enters his arms. "Err..." He's still rather wary, and afraid of dropping her, but her gaze is so beautiful and innocent, he wouldn't dare drop her if he can help it. "Hello," he says softly, to the child, "I