In Search of - a Father

Writers: Kaysea, Rochelle
Date Posted: 15th August 2007

Characters: Tatitem, Taia, T'san, Aislan, Dayana
Description: Taia asks for Tatitem's help in locating her father
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 5, day 3 of Turn 4

Taking a deep breath, she still hesitated - and she wasn't even sure why.
Would it be so strange for her to want to know where her father was
sleeping, these days? She answered the question herself, knowing she
would be given a strange look by Tatitem, the instant the words were out
of her mouth. Biting her lip, she steeled herself again, and raising her
hand, she knocked three times in quick succession on the door - and
waited.

Tatitem heard the familiar knocking as she circled the kitchens, and
strode over to find the young woman standing in front of her office door.
"Yes?"

"Oh Tatitem, I hope I'm not disturbing you? If I am I can come back
later." Taia realised she was sounding a little crazy, "Sorry, I'm.." her
hands twisted themselves together, as she looked awkwardly at the older
woman.

Tati raised her eyebrows, and opened the door, recognizing that the woman
would probably want privacy for whatever she wanted. "You're fine,
journeywoman. Have a seat."

"I'm sorry, I'm just not sure," she shook her head, "you're going to think
me crazy for acting this way, but-" she paused and tried to organise her
thoughts into coherency. "Do you know where my father is? Who he's
weyrmating with now?"

Tatitem paused in the act of settling into her chair, studying the girl...
ah, yes. Taia. She'd been a few classes behind Titase and a few ahead of
M'nex as a child. "May I ask why you wish to know?"

Taia shrugged, "To tell the truth, I'm not sure. I've, I've seen my mother
a few times this last turn, but my father? I have no idea where he is,
who he's with or even if I have any more siblings around the place, and I
thought - well..." she shrugged again. The Headwoman normally kept very
strict details of weyrmating and who had children with whom, Tatitem had
seemed the most obvious place to start.

"I see." At least it made sense, even if it was an incoherent answer. At
least she didn't seem bent on trying to destroy her father's life in
retaliation for some slight. She'd had that before, but she doubted Taia
would be the type. "Give me a moment then. Let me see if I have the
records here." She hauled herself out of her chair again, and began
rifling through the piles of hides on the shelves behind her. She'd had
the weyr assignments out recently, looking for a free weyr for a baker and
her expanding family, but had been forced to put them aside while she
dealt with a kitchen emergency. Where had she put them...?

"Take your time, its not as if I've been in a rush to find out before
this." Taia said, watching Tatitem searching. "Curiosity has gotten the
better of me, I guess." she said, finding herself at an awkward moment,
and talking just for the sake of filling in silent moments.

Tatitem made a neutral noise that could be interpreted as anything from
agreement to acknowledgment that she was still listening as she continued
to rifle through her piles. Where had she put that hide...? Even if she
couldn't answer Taia with it, she still needed to know where it was!
Shardit, but if one more person laid piles on top of her desk instead of
in the baskets... Aha. She fished the hides out from under a new pile of
reports that had somehow appeared on her desk while she was in the
kitchen.

"Hmm." She hummed, settling in her chair again. "What was your father's
name again?"

"T'san. Formerly Taiasan. I was named for him." Taia answered.

"T'san..." Tati murmered to herself, flipping through the pages of
handwriting, and keeping an eye open for weyrs appropriate for the baker
as she scanned them. "T'san... no, not T'sen. T'san..." She hmmed again,
and paused a few minutes later. "Ah. T'san. Yes, he's weyrmated." She
confirmed. "And with a new baby too. Two children by this one... He's in
one of the family weyrs on the second level. Here." Tatitem took a scrap
of hide and wrote the number on it before handing it to Taia.

"Oh..." Taia reached out and took the slip of paper, glancing at it before
looking back to Tatitem. "Um, does it say who his weyrmate is?" she
asked, titling her head to try and read it for herself.

"Dayana." Tatitem read, glancing at the journeywoman to see her reaction.

"Dayana?" Taia pulled a face, it wasn't a name she recognised. "I don't
know her, but I guess I will soon." she gave an uncertain smile. She
wondered if her mother would know of the woman; may be a visit to her
mother might be in order, she hadn't seen Aislan in a while after all.
"Thank you for your help Tatitem, I appreciate it."

"You're welcome, Journeywoman." Tatitem said automatically, then looked
hard at the woman. "But I don't want to hear anything amiss about this
visit, Taia. Not everything is what you hope it will be. Don't be
disappointed if things don't work out the way you'd like them." She
warned.

"Oh..no. No, I won't Headwoman. I'm - its just," she felt lost for words for a
moment, "it's hard to explain, I just want to get to know my family again..."
she gave a shrug, then met Tatitem's eyes once more, "I'll be on my best
behaviour - promise."

"Very well then." Tatitem stood, leaning on the desk a little for a moment
as her knees protested. "Have a good day journeywoman. And good luck with
your father."

"Thanks," she nodded her head, and stood up; glancing down again to the
number on the scrap of paper, she felt a shiver of anticipation run
through her. "Thank you Tatitem."

Last updated on the September 3rd 2007

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In Search of - a Father