June 16, 2003
Serriena brings Rhyena to visit, and she and R'hyn talk of his unhappiness as Weyrleader.

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It's late, but the three ladies walking in the door don't seem to notice that. Or at least two don't. Niaryth croons a greeting to Arisvath upon entering his weyr, moving over to give her lovin' mate a neck twine to let him know how she feels. Serriena smiles, entering, "Looks who's awake," she says softly. If she's talking to Rhyena or R'hyn is unclear.

It may be late, but a weyrleader's work is never done: R'hyn is sucking at the end of his pen, apparently deep in concentration, though he seems more intent at staring at the wall than actually getting anything on paper. He's disrupted by Arisvath's warm rumble, muffled into Niaryth's neck, and lifts his own head - expression softening - to greet his daughter, and her mother. "Come on in!" he murmurs, careful to keep his voice down.

"We thought we'd come visit," Serriena says gently. Rhyena is awake, her bright eyes looking around eagerly at everything. The nine month old has one fisted hand in her mouth, chewing on it, the other gripping and ungripping Serriena's shoulder as she looks about, turning her head this way and that. "Well I did," Serriena smiles. "It's been some time since I had been able to get her from the nannies." She holds Rhyena out for inspection by R'hyn.

"You're always welcome," stammers R'hyn, dropping his stylus and standing to reach out, somewhat uneasily, for his daughter. "She gets bigger, every time I see her! I guess that means I don't see her enough, doesn't it?"

Serriena hands over Rhyena easily, the little baby, able to hold her head up and watch everything. "Not at all. It's normal for us not to see her actually, though I wish I had more participation in my children's care," Serriena easily drops down in a chair, "Rhyena," She coos at the baby who tilts her head, name recognition already set in place at this age. Serriena waggles her fingers at their daughter.

R'hyn's not totally inapt at actually holding the child, once she's in his arms; he sits back down, rearranging his arms to give her a better position. "She's beautiful," he breathes, "Aren't you, Rhy?" His nod is somewhat solemn, somewhat sad: "Saera gets to spend so much more time with her kids. It doesn't seem quite fair."

"Perhaps someday she'll come to know us," Serriena says comfortingly. Rhyena crosses her eyes, trying to look at R'hyn. A slight smile appears on the face of the baby girl, around a drool covered hand. She's teething more it seems. "How's your work coming along?" Serriena asks, nodding to the hides.

"Oh. Okay, I guess," says R'hyn, furrowing his brow - he's gone a little pink. "I wasn't really concentrating very well." His attention, now, is more taken by Rhyena; he makes a face at her, sticking out his tongue.

Rhyena takes her hand out of her mouth, a drooly smile given to R'hyn for his trouble at sticking the tongue out. Serriena grins. "Did you look at the back of her head?" She sounds excited as she points out to R'hyn. "See that reddish fuzz? Her hair is finally growing in!" Which is good - since for a while it seemed she might be a bald girl.

R'hyn's tongue is withdrawn, and he looks positively enchanted. "Oh, look at that," he murmurs, though whether it is in response to Rhyena's smile, or her hair, it's not entirely clear. After a pause, he comments, "She's going to have hair like mine, isn't she? Oh, how-- it's about time, isn't it? I was born with hair."

"Lucky you," Serriena grins, "I don't know that I had hair, or if I did, it was very light." She reaches out to touch Rhyena's head, giving the bald girl a stroke. Rhyena's attention turns to things on her father's desk. Especially things that catch a 9 month old's eyes. She stretches her arm out, reaching for a stylus to take.

R'hyn hesitates, before handing Rhyena a blunt pencil, instead. "I guess she took after you, there," murmurs the proud father, grinning wryly. "How are you, Serri? I mean... things are going all right?"

"Well," Serriena leans back with a sigh. "I'm sure you know my son has been trying to fix me back up with his father, J'nah, the rider to blue Myrdith." She takes a moment to let that sink in and says, "I've had to punish Derien for getting into trouble when he's old enough to know better." She looks at Rhyena and says, " I miss Llilian. I wish I could write Telgar and tell them to send her back, but I know she won't be happy here."

R'hyn hesitates, and then nods slowly. "I'd heard about that," he admits, in a quiet voice. "How are you dealing with that?" His hands play with the edge of Rhyena's garment, then smooth her head, before he adds, "I'm sure that would be hard, for you. To be without her. You should visit her, take some time off."

"No, I can't do that yet," Serriena says, "We've got to deal with those pirates first." She looks across at the Weyrleader asking, "Any leads on where these blackguards are?"

R'hyn swallows thickly, and then nods. "I know. But after that." He shakes his head, gaze set firmly upon Rhyena, who seems quite enchanted with her toy - the unsharpened pencil. "Not yet. We're working on it. People... don't seem to like me very much, at the moment, because of it."

"Yes I've been hearing everything said," Serriena agrees softly. Her tone changes as she says, "Don't you believe a word of it. I know you're trying to keep the peace." Rhyena does indeed like the pencil, resulting in chewing on it to satisfy curiosity. A moment later she takes the pencil out of her mouth, lips puckering up. Something nasty eh?

"Trying," echoes R'hyn, shaking his head. "I'm just not very good at it, still. I need Shiae-- or if not Shiae, then I need someone. Or maybe the weyr just needs someone else, Serri." He's distracted by Rhyena again, tickling under her chin. "Not very tasty is it, darling?"

Serriena is quiet watching father and daughter together. When she does speak she asks clearly, "You're still not happy with the Weyrleader position are you?" Not waiting for a response she continues, "I'd hoped by now you would come to like it...but you don't."

R'hyn takes his time in answering. He smoothes the smoothness of his daughter's head, he tickles her beneath the chin again, and then, finally, he shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Serri. I try, and I know I'm doing better than I was, but this is not /me/. I'm not suited to this kind of thing."

"I've known it," Serriena admits. "Your heart was never meant for this position. I had hopes you would change your mind, but I have to accept your feelings on this." Serriena glances at Niaryth and then at Arisvath. "What are we to do? She only wants him." A glance over at Rhyena, smiling to see such happiness, the little girl starting to babble at her father, making noises.

R'hyn worries his lip with his teeth, hesitating - or perhaps without the words to voice his feelings. "I think it's my mind, as well as my heart. I'm just wrong, the whole way through." His gaze follows Serriena's, catching the contented dragon couple, and he sighs. "I don't know. He wants her, too. I can't refuse to let him chase. I mean... I can /try/, but I don't know." He adjusts Rhyena, rocking her back and forth, cooing at her.

Serriena raises her fingers to her lips, nibbling on a nail as she looks at Niaryth and Arisvath. She lowers her finger, stopping her nervous habit. Rhyena watches R'hyn with fascination. She babbles back at him, telling him - in baby talk - things only she can understand. "Perhaps talking to them.." Serriena can't seem to figure a way out of this one. "Shards and stars!"

R'hyn's not got too much dignity to babble back at Rhyena - his baby talk is well practiced - and he grins, though it fades as he glances back up again. "You know that won't work. They'll forget, or... Well, get distracted."

Serriena nods her head in agreement. "I don't seem to have much control over my own self when it happens." R'hyn of course, would have seen it - the way Serriena went a tiny bit loopy during the flight - pushing riders into bathing pools, calling people her 'daddy' and things like that. She's a bit nutty and fluffy whenever Niaryth rises, losing her normal self to some brainless piece of nothing. "But surely there is something to be done." Serriena seems to be thinking about a solution. Rhyena peers at R'hyn quizzically. What on Pern did he just say in baby speak? She tries again, babbling some more.

R'hyn hesitates, slightly, at Rhyena's expression, then sticks his tongue out again. Whatever works. "Yes," he remembers, quietly. "I-- I don't know. I will /try/, Serriena, next time she goes up. It's better for the weyr, and for me. For everyone, really."

Serriena smiles crookedly. Rhyena takes the opportunity to reach out and try to pinch the offending tongue, to figure it out. "Don't try too hard. I've gotten used to knowing who shares my bed the morning after."

R'hyn lets out a somewhat surprised - and only slightly pained - 'gah' as Rhyena grasps at his tongue. He quickly draws her fingers away, enveloping them in his much larger hand. He smiles, somewhat rueful. "I guess we'll see what happens. The dragons... know what's best, right?"

"Always," Serriena agrees. She chuckles as Rhyena tugs her hand out and tries the next thing. She lays her head against R'hyn's shoulder, blinking. "I also like the fact you agreed to continue T'rrent's ideas on running the weyr," she admits. "I know we've been frowned upon for the way we do things here as opposed to Fort Weyr."

R'hyn smoothes Rhyena's head again, his fingers tickling at the baby-soft skin. "I'm trying. I guess-- well, we're a different weyr, aren't we? We have to do things differently. I don't know." He doesn't: he's thinking hard, his brow furrowed, his shoulders tense.

Rhyena yawns and her daddy must be comfortable because she closes her eyes, head falling to his shoulder to rest there. Her little body starts to go limp in his arms. His tensing though interrupts and her face scrunches up a whimper escaping her. Serriena looks in concern at Rhyena as she says, "We are different. Look at Red Sands and SeaCliff - look what happened after we were generous with them. They returned the spirit of our gift with more tithes. There's nothing wrong with that."

R'hyn gently soothes Rhyena with his hand, attempting to release the tension from his shoulders, make her more comfortable. He rocks her, gently. "I know. We're not doing so badly, not really. But there are these pirates, and-- well, who knows what will happen next."

Apparently, it's not working. Rhyena suddenly lets out a wail that proves what a healthy set of lungs she has, Serriena stands to her feet and asks, "Want me to take her? She probably should go back to the nannies - I took her right before bed time." She glances at R'hyn and says, "It's a lot to deal with. You and I have had to deal with more than most Weyrleaders handle in a lifetime - in our few short turns together. Who knows what will pop up next no?"

R'hyn swallows, and, finally, nods, drawing Rhyena away from his shoulder in order to return her to her mother. "Yes," he agrees, quietly. "I suppose so."

Serriena pats Rhyena, trying to comfort her slowly as she walks out. She turns around at the door, saying, "Good night R'hyn."

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