A Word - Cresce

[stolenhart]

At seven months pregnant, Ilayria was in no condition to be going up and down stairs on a whim. The stairs that lead from her weyr to the lower caverns were treacherously slippery in the current conditions of the Weyr. Once more she considered having a weaver make a carpet for the stairs, now it seemed like a very good idea indeed. She sighed, leaning back in the comfortable chair.

Records covered the area of the tile inlaid table in front of her. She was spending her day going over the records, rewriting those that were older and faded. She had sent for Cresce since the girl would be doing this one day herself and, Ilayria had to admit, she herself was bored and could use the company. The company of the jr. weyrwoman to go over policy and procedure was a legitmate excuse to pull the girl out of Weyrling exercises, especially since knowing the proper flame technique was useless to her.

B'oone was also not comfortable with Ilayria being by herself all day. Arrow was good for somethings but alerting the Healers that his was having a baby might be beyond him. And he couldn't fetch large objects for Ilayria not like Cresce could anyway. She looked at the empty cup by her elbow and sighed. She had just gotten comfortable in her chair but her cup was empty and the hot klah pitcher was steaming invitingly. "Shardit", she said, climbing to her feet slowly and walking the short distance to the sideboard where the pitcher was.

[Femisis]

Though she was still getting used to the lessons, Crescentia was beginning to enjoy them a bit. Sure it was a pain to have to get up early, take care of Basteth then coax the hatchling up and to the classroom before the Weyrling Master arrived. Today didn't involve trying to get Basteth up, but it was still disappointing. They were being given one of their first lessons in fighting and strategy, one of the things she'd been eager to learn. Sadly, she'd probably never GET to fight, but it was still nice to know what she was doing. She'd hate to be singled out simply because Basteth would never flame, but were Queens even allowed to fight? She'd have to ask Illarya when she got a chance.

Her chance came none too soon as she felt Basteth stirring in the back of her mind. Mine, Astoth has asked us to join Hers.[/i] The young dragon commented as she yawned, stretching her rapidly growing body as she stood up. Come, Mine, Jasderth already knows. I will wait for you.

If you say so... Cresce replied as she quietly got up from her seat, making her way to the door without much fuss even though she knew there were a few pairs of eyes on her. They loved to stare when someone left, especially when it was her. When the repremand from Ph'in didn't come, she left the classroom quickly to return to her room, quickly tie up her hair and fetch Basteth. The Queen was dozing on her couch, as usual, when the girl returned, but the dragon got up in an instant and trotted beside her rider. She was still amazed how large the hatchling was just out of the egg...

"Why don't you take a nap on the sands?" She suggested as she eyed the door to the council chamber. A greenling might fit, but not her own dragon. "They're warm..."

Basteth snorted in what could have been indignation, but she nudged Cresce's hand anyway before trotting off to the the Sands with the promise of a nice long nap in mind. With her hatchling taken care of, she approached the door, knocked once, and took a step in. "You called for me?"

[stolenhart]

Ilayria had just sat down, steaming cup in her hand for a moment of relaxation as Cresce knocked. "Oh? Yes please come in. You didn't have any trouble escaping my tyrant of a brother did you?", Ilayria asked. Ph'in was her brother though not many would know it to look at them. Ilayria was a golden-haired beauty with to die for blue eyes while Ph'in.... Well the nicest thing about Ph'in was his voice. "I don't think we've been formerly introduced I'm Ilayria and the little blue there is Arrow", she introduced herself and her blue flitt, before leaning forward to grab a stack of records.

"Please take a seat, a glow basket and a quill", Ilayria told the girl. "I was just re-writing some old records since it's about all I can do at the moment. No stairs, no storage rooms, no lifting", she rolled her eyes at the Healers' warnings. "So I run the Weyr from my comfy Council room. I didn't mean to pull you out of lessons today but I was bored and needed company", she gave Cresce a half smile, "And pulling you out of lessons for a talk with me is an accepted and legitimate excuse".

[Femisis]

Shaking her head, Crescentia came in and closed the door behind her. "No, the Weyrling Master didn't say anything when I left... Wait. He's your brother?" She asked in shock. Honestly, she didn't think they looked anything alike at all. Then again, she looked nothing like her siblings, but they only had one parent in common so that was no surprise there. Still, there should be something alike about them, but she couldn't think of anything at all. "Oh." She said, shocked out of her thoughts by Illarya's formal introduction. Her eyes immediately went to the flitter, wondering if she could pet him before she was told to sit down.

She gathered a glow basket and quill and sat down next to Illarya, stifling a mental groan in the process. Copying records? She'd left learning about battles for this? She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair and picked up a record to begin copying. So she was bored... Well, she couldn't blame the Weyrwoman as she could only imagine how restrictive carrying a child was if her bulging middle was any indication. She shivered at the thought, knowing that there was a good chance of getting pregnant herself, even if she did have some time to wait. Well, if she wanted to talk... "Have you chosen a name for the baby?" She asked, glancing up from the record every few seconds to watch the Weyrwoman.

[stolenhart]

Arrow seemed to read the thoughts of Cresce as he left his post to sit on the table, curling his tail around Ilayria's cup. "Yes go ahead", Ilayria told the flitt who approached Cresce with a questioning chirp. "He wants to meet you", the weyrwoman informed her junior with a tolerant smile. The blue flitt was into everyting and out of nothing, he couldn't help it. "A name? B'oone doesn't really care but I am thinking Bria or Brya, boy or girl", she placed a hand on her stomach where the baby was kicking. "I'd name it dungheap if it would come out today", she added with a rueful murmur. While she was excited to be having a baby she was certainly ready for the baby to be born.

"Anyway, copying records is one of our boring chores. I try to devote at least two hours a day to the task, usually when I get up in the morning. I don't need my full wits about me to copy and read", Ilayria explained, "And it can be relaxing", she added with a sigh. "Once I have the baby, your real training will begin. I'll show you the Lower caverns, introduce you to the tithe-masters. We'll fly out to the holds and see the Holders. Once Basteth is older, I'll begin showing you our wing manuvers as well", she added then continued, "Your lessons with Ph'in are merely to give you a sense of comraderie with your clutchmates, and a base of knowledge all riders share in. But most of your lessons will be with me once Basteth learns to between properly".

[Femisis]

Smiling enticingly at the flitter, Crescentia reached her hand up to pet Arrow on the head, eventually moving to scratch under his chin and his eyeridges. "I wouldn't mind having a flitter, though I have my hands full with Basteth right now... maybe later." She mused, more to herself than to Illarya. Still, it'd be nice to have one... "Bria or Brya... Those are nice names, though I'm not sure the baby will be too happy with them if it's a boy." She giggled. They sounded a bit too feminine to her for a boy. What would the honorific for it be if the child Impressed? She didn't have long to muse, as the dungheap mention had her roaring with laughter. She could feel Basteth's curiosity, her amusement having roused her from her doze. Are you alright, Mine?[/i] She queried.

Yes, I'm fine. Cresce replied, giggling to herself as she felt the hatchling settle down to sleep once again. Turning her attention back to Illarya, she found that the Weyrwoman was speaking once again, laying out what they would be doing once the baby was born. As she listened, it took all of her willpower to not let her mouth drop. She knew that Queenriders had specifc duties beyond that of the other Riders, but all of this? Faranth, what had Basteth gotten her into? Speaking of Ph'in...

"I don't mean to sound rude or disrespectful, but regarding the Weyrling Master... He seems rather... free in giving punishments. In our first day alone half the class, myself included, ended up doing extra chores in punishment, many of which were for trivial things." She knew she'd been late, but hadn't the humiliation of being caught at it been punishment enough? "I just wanted to bring it up before something happened, like one of the Weyrlings talking back." She could only imagine what would happen...

[stolenhart]

Ilayria laughed. "I was punished my first day of weyrling training too. I didn't clean the blood off my shirt before the lesson started", Ilayria told her with a fond smile for her memories. "I told the weyrlingmaster that I was just going to get bloody again so why change my clothes? It was a very logical statement", she chuckled, "He told me since I wasn't washing my own clothes I could report to class on time and in clean clothes and so he punished me to wash my own clothes for two months", she shook her head. "Only it wasn't just my clothes I had to wash but the entire weyrling wing's clothes as well". She pushed the record away and leaned back in her chair.

"My father always said the weyrlings were punished for the crime of becoming riders", she rolled her eyes. "I hated that statement but I've found it to be true over the turns. The Weyrlingmasters don't have time to coddle you, to make sure you understand the whys of what we train you to do", she began her explanation, "As a weyrling it is sufficient that you do it, and that you do it correctly as quickly as possible. Punishment is effective in bringing that about", she paused for a moment as Arrow crawled across the table to stick his nose in her klah cup. "The understanding comes later when the lessons save your life. Ph'in, well he's young, Jasderth is only two turns old you are his second class", she smiled fondly, poor Ph'in. Weyrlingmasters had such a hard path to fly. "But he's been training and teaching all his life and the old Weyrlingmaster hand-picked him. Besides he'll change in a few months time".

[Femisis]

Cresce had to admit that the Weyrwoman had a point, but that didn't make it any easier to take. For Faranth's sake, hadn't they done enough chores while candidates? Faranth only knew how much washing she'd done in that time and the nasty things she'd picked up. She'd even found a tunnelsnake in one riders drawers which had been rather disturbing and frightening all at once. She felt Basteth's faint expression amusement at the thought, though it was heavy with sleep. "How long will it be before the Hatchlings become a bit more... active?" She asked as the question popped into her mind. She was eager to spend more time with Basteth when the hatchling WASN'T sleeping, which seemed to be al the time, though she had a feeling that Basteth was rather lazy dragon.

I am not![/i] The Queen protested, but it was short lived as she realized that Hers meant it lovingly. She was still getting used to her human's odd concept of humor and the expression of it.

(Sorry it's short, my muse is in hibernation.)

[stolenhart]

"Active? You'll wish one day she was still small and less active", Ilayria intoned. A loud snort echoed softly through the chamber. "Then they aren't aware enough to back talk you", she nodded towards the general direction of her weyr. Astoth was inside today which meant she near enough to hear everything and reply verbally if she chose. "But a few more months. They'll start flying about four months or so, so they'll be active by then", Ilayria explained with a shrug.

"Dragons are alot like felines I've noticed. When they are active they go full out entire body thrown into it. When they have nothing to do, they sleep. They probably sleep so much because they use up so much energy doing stuff", she added. "Don't worry, this sluggishness is good for them. The flitts are by far and away more active", she stroked Arrow who cooed happily. "There is a gold set to rise in the Kitchens soon, the only gold here at the Weyr. You ought to get in line for an egg. I think I am", she added, "Another one would be great help with Astoth".

[Femisis]

"Like felines?" Cresce repeated, looking over her shoulder at the door as though she could see Basteth through the walls. "I think Basteth is a feline born in the wrong body." She laughed as she bent over the table to begin copying the skin in her hand. She'd been so absorbed in her conversation with Ilayria that she'd forgotten all about it. At the mention of flitters, she cocked her head a bit. She had always been curious about flitts, though she'd never really wanted one. There had been offers, yes, and if she had asked her father would have gotten her one in a heartbeat, but the desire had never been there. Then again, they were rather useful so maybe she would get one.

For a few minuets, she said nothing, only copying the old skin onto a new one. Her handwriting was neat but slow and she took even more time to painstakingly make sure she was copying exactally what was written on the original skin. Faranth only knew what would happen if she copied it wrong. Eventually, she found another question she wanted to ask. This had been bothering her for a while now and she felt it best to get it off her chest. "I know there's still quite a bit of time until this, but... what happens in a Flight? I've seen one before, but what really happens?" She asked, biting her lower lip awkwardly. She was normally fearless, but such things were alien to her. Sure, she'd been prepared for potential marriage to some Lord Holder, but with dragons running things around here, she wasn't sure what to think.

[stolenhart]

With the silence in the room, Ilayria bent back over a record, returning to her task. She noted that Cresce's handwriting was slow but very neat, quite different from Ilayria's own sloppy, albeit, readable handwriting. She'd loose that soon enough after copying a hundred musty hides. Why these hides had to be recorded when Thread no longer existed was beyond Ilayria. Shards, maybe she'd have a green rider burn the whole lot of older and faded hides then they wouldn't have to worry anymore. That would be wonderful. Then she'd have to listen to the Holders whine about the Weyr's failure to perform their record keeping duty.

Ilayria glanced up as Cresce cleared her throat and asked her question. "This", she pointed at her bulging stomach and then laughed. "No pregnancy rarely happens from a flight, at least for humans, I think this might have been a day or two after the flight", she made a face of distaste then smiled, she was not enjoying her pregnancy one bit. "With golds, they have to blood. They need the energy of the blood withou tthe weight of the meat in their bellies", and, she looked wistful for a moment. "The emotions and lust it's very overwhelming. No matter how hard you want to fight it, you'll always lose. And the end", she shook her head. "Ph'in will explain it later. We can explain everything to you, but you'll never understand it until it happens to you. In about three turns or so", she explained. It was a bad explanation but Ilayria wasn't quite comfortable with explaining such an intimate and emotional encounter yet, she'd never had a junior weyrwoman afterall.

[Femisis]

Cresce nodded, fowning as she chewed her lip. It all sounded rather... frightening, really, as much as she hated to admit it. Flights were one of the things she really hadn't thought about when she'd had her heart set on Impressing a Queen. She wasn't so sure she liked the idea of allowing someone else to control her, dominate her... She'd always been so independent that the idea of having a mate was rather upsetting. She shook her head, forcing the thought from her mind. Basteth's first flight wasn't for another couple of turns so there was no point in worrying about it unecessarily. There would be time for that later. Right now, there were other things to worry about.

Still working on the first hide, she tried to decide how to pose her next question. It was rather morbid, but she needed to know. "I know this isn't the most plesant of questions... but is there any chance the South will come after Basteth and I?" Cresce asked, her voice soft but firm. It was kind of funny that she was more afraid of mating with someone as opposed to being killed, she though.

[stolenhart]

Ilayria could sense that the girl was worried about her first Flight and before that time she would probably hear quite a bit to either calm, or escalate, her fears. It had been that way with Ilayria but then Ph'in had told her some whopper of lies and her father had tried to explain the rest and gotten embarrassed. The old Weyrwoman had only smiled and shrugged, leaving the Weyrlingmaster to the task. He had explanations for the green flights and outside of letting Ilayria know that Astoth needed to blood her kills he had no other information for her. Then of course the two idiots who had won her previous two flights had to make tunnelsnakes out of themselves in fighting over her, as if Ilayria was worth that kind of trouble. She was but any man with the bad sense to fight over her she didn't want around.

Cresce's next question jerked Ilayria's mind from her current thoughts. "After you and Basteth?", she reasked the question, looking thoughtful for a moment. "I would say it's a fifty fifty chance", she began. Arrow bored with the conversation, rolled his eyes and 'died' on the table. Spread-eagled on his back, wings and limbs limp, he looked pitiful. "Oh poor little lizard, have we bored you to death gossiping like old women?", she asked the flitt, poking him in the stomach. Arrow just sighed so Ilayria rolled her eyes and turned back to Cresce.

"Right now, since she can't fly, you are safe. Shards, you are safe here anyway. The Southern numbers are smaller and they don't fly well in our winds, or they didn't at one time. Basteth isn't going anywhere and as long as you stay in the Weyr no one will harm you. As young as she is, Basteth can still kill a man as well", she explained. "Once I have the baby I'll start working with you on sword lessons as well". Then she looked at Cresce and frowned, "In Northern you are safe. Should you ever go to Southern, well you'll be told that when the time comes".