Catching Up

Writers: Cait
Date Posted: 19th December 2008

Characters: Teiluka, Valena
Description: Teiluka visits her mother, Valena on her first restday as a candidate to catch up.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 13, day 7 of Turn 4

Teiluka could hear the crying before she even got to the door and shuddered. She loved her mother, but she was pretty sure she'd rather step /between/ forever than be stuck with that brood for even a moment. And that was just Valena's own children. Faranth only knew who she was fostering now, Luka was just hoping most of the little ones were gone. Raising a hand, she knocked on the door and was rewarded with a strained, "Come in!" Heaving a sigh, Luka opened the door into her own personal form of torture: children.

Trying to look friendly, she smiled and moved to greet her mother. With her own one Turn old propped on her hip and leading a small child who, judging by his pale looks was not one of her own, by the hand, Valena returned the smile. "Luka! You got here just in time." The last words that the young woman wanted to hear. Because, inevitably, it meant further interaction with…them. The drooling, squabbling, crying little persons that Luka didn't have the slightest clue what to do with. Seeing the look of dread on her daughter's face, Valena laughed. "Oh relax, I'm not going to ask you to change anyone or even read to them. I'd appreciate it if you'd just hold Asarra and watch these guys while I go get your sister so we can enjoy some peace and quiet." Grinning, the older woman put the little girl into Luka's arms and left the room.

Surprised, Luka held the little girl a bit awkwardly. Asarra was only a Turn old, exactly the stage at which Luka was completely and utterly lost. Toddlers and the older ones she could at least understand, but babies were beyond her. Asarra looked up and gurgled and Luka frowned. She wished Navan were here. When they were younger, her older brother had looked after the little ones while she took care of the older ones. He was the baby person, not her. Grimacing, she tried to keep an eye on the other children, who, thankfully, were mostly preoccupied drawing or playing with toys. And happily enough, Valena returned a few moments later with Thyriane in tow.

Laughing at the expression on Luka's face, her sister took Asarra and bounced her in her arms, making the little girl chortle. "Luka, it's a good thing you're going to be a dragonrider or you'd be doomed." Tall and curvaceous, Thyriane was everything Luka wasn't but neither of them had ever really felt too jealous of the other. To each her own, Luka thought, amused and grateful to relinquish her momentary babysitting duties.

"Ready?" Valena asked and smiled when Luka nodded. Putting an arm around her daughter, Valena lead the way out and down to the lower caverns to for food and conversation. When they finally had their food and took two empty seats, Valena settled back into her chair. "So? How was apprentice life been treating you?"

Luka grinned. "Good, except it isn't really apprentice life anymore. I finally petitioned to Stand," she admitted.

"Finally!" Valena exclaimed. "It certainly took you long enough. Your father and I were wondering when you'd get around to it."

Luka laughed. "I know, I know. I just wasn't sure I wanted to get out there and make a fool of myself, I mean, what dragon would really want me?" She joked, though not entirely sure it was a joke. Sometimes she wondered. Sharp-tongued, sarcastic and awkward at best around most people, a lot of _people_ found her a bit trying so what guarantee was there that a dragon wouldn't?

"Dragons aren't people, dear. I know you don't have the greatest of ease with people but dragons are different, from what I hear. They're supposed to be like your other half, able to understand you like no one else ever could. Besides, you have two Turns to see what happens and then, if it doesn't, you can figure out where to go from there. Somehow, I'm thinking that might require a craft change though," Valena teased, knowing her daughter all too well. Luka as a general healer was an amusing idea, she'd anger more patients than she'd ever soothe. Not all were meant to be dragonriders though. Valena had always had a feeling that her oldest daughter was if only because people made her so uncomfortable. But who was she to say? It was the dragon's choice that mattered.

"Thanks, Ma. We'll see what happens, all I can do is hope. And hope it comes soon as this waiting might kill me." Luka grinned, she'd never been known for her patience. "But I like candidate life just fine. Not so sure of all the other girls, that gold egg just seems to bring all kinds of people out of the woodwork, good and bad. So far I've mostly avoided the bad ones since Ylisahn didn't ask that I move into the candidates' barracks."

Valena nodded. "Have you made any new friends yet?"

Luka shook her head. "Not really. Navan's gotten out there, but so far I haven't really met anyone I would skip reading to hang out with. I know I'm a loner, but some of those girls, I'd rather pull out my teeth than be around for any length of time." She grimaced.

"Oh c'mon, Luka, there has to be someone worth being around. How about boys then?" Valena asked curiously.

"Faranth, Ma, no. No boys." Not that she'd mind having a bedmate but relationships were beyond Luka. It wasn't that there were no good looking men, of course there were. It was just that ... well, she'd never been real great at small talk or any of the social niceties that tended to get you in a relationship. She tended to accidentally tread on people's feelings and/or pride and thus preferred her studies and her feline, Kink. At least he was easy to understand, and a good pillow.

"Well, mind that you at least try to make some friends, you could use some. As your family, we'll always love you, but you need friends." Valena lectured, knowing what a recluse her daughter could be.

"Yeah, yeah, I will," Luka grumbled, though with a smile. Shaking her head, she continued chatting with her mother until the two finished eating and wandered off, Luka happily leaving her mother with the children and heading back to the barracks. Maybe Navan would want to go do something. At this point, he was the only person she ever hung out with.

**Maybe Ma's right,** Luka thought with a small laugh. Maybe she did need to get out there and at least try to befriend some people. Couldn't hurt anyway. Or at least not much.

Last updated on the December 20th 2008

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Catching Up