Notches in the Bedpost

Writers: Suzee, Eimi
Date Posted: 21st February 2011

Characters: D'ale, U'kaiah
Description: U'kaiah needs to tell someone...
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 13, day 24 of Turn 5
Notes: Follows "DCW: Who's your daddy?"

D'ale

The warmth of the Dolphin Cove air had been erased by the cold of
/between/ and the chill wind over Dragonsfall. As U'kaiah slid off
Kalamath's neck he asked his lifemate, **Will you ask Torerath's rider
to report to my room at his earliest possible convenience, please.**

}:Kalamath's wants you in his room as soon as you can:{ D'ale smiled
at the lovely green rider he'd been talking to and said "Duty calls"
**Please let him know I"m on my way** he thought as he lifted her hand
and kissed her fingers. "Another time?" her smile told him all he
needed to know.

He didn't rush but soon he was standing outside U'kaiah's door. He
knocked.

"Come in!" U'kaiah called from the chair he had planted himself on at
the end of the table, the glass in his hand half empty but the bottle
and another glass at the ready.

"Hey." Said D'ale as he came through the door. The bottle and glasses
told him something was going on but he wasn't sure if it was good or
bad. "What's going on?" he said.

The bronzerider filled the glass and pushed it across the table towards
him. "I'm going to be a father. Again."

D'ale sat with a smile. "Oh? Congratulations?" he wasn't quite sure if
the bronze rider was happy about the news or not.

"Thank you. It was very... unexpected." U'kaiah took another sip from
his glass. "These things just come out of nowhere, don't they. Like a
Thread on a crosswind. Not that it's bad," he quickly amended,
realizing how that might sound. "Just, you don't know it's coming."

D'ale chuckled and picked up the glass. "Nope, hits you by surprise.
Every time." He took an appreciative sip. "Who's the lucky mother?" he
quipped. He hadn't seen U'kaiah deeply involved with anyone recently
and his on again off again with Aileyan was off, or so he thought.

"Tavia. She's a greenrider at Dolphin Cove. On the waterball team."
U'kaiah didn't know why he threw that last bit of information on there.
Probably because he had been thinking back to the day they had first met
on a beach. She was his consolation prize after a defeat.

"Hmm, Don't think I know her." He knew most of the greeriders at both
Dragonsfall and Riverbluff but he hadn't been much to Dolphin Cove.
"She just tell you?" he asked.

U'kaiah nodded leaning his hand on his chin. He had woken that morning
thinking it was a typical day, and in the space of a conversation
everything suddenly changed. Life was funny that way. "You know, she
told me, and asked me to take her to her bed and after, as I held her, I
just lay there thinking. I've met Tavia six times in my life. That's
all. And now we're bound together forever, in one fashion or another.
I never would have guessed that first time."

D'ale took a drink then contemplated the glass. "You never know that
first moment." he said shaking his head slightly. "But she has to be
more stable than Dalora's mother. She's a dragon rider right?" He'd
met odd riders that much was true but for the most part they were at
least sane. Then he thought about the recent news about the Dolphin
Cove Werywoman and wished he hadn't said that.

"Maybe you should ask around a bit, talk to some of her closer
acquaintances. I know I sure wouldn't want a nasty surprise again.
Unless you're just going to let it go and let her deal with it." More
than one rider he knew had done just that.

"I must have given the wrong impression," U'kaiah said with a shake of
his head. "This isn't a 'nasty' surprise. I'm a little shocked, yes,
but I certainly have nothing bad to say of Tavia and can't say having
another child will be a bad thing. Just an unexpected change, is all."

D'ale grinned. "Well then, all the best wishes for a strong child." He
chuckled "That kind of news out of the blue would throw anyone,
U'kaiah. Whether you like the girl or not. It's good though when you
think about it. Another strong bloodline for the Weyr."

The bronzerider smiled as he thought about the line he already had
started. "I had always hoped Felka would have another child so Kaiafel
could have a younger brother or sister. Guess it was left up to me,
eh?"

He nodded, "Kenza had several so I didn't have to worry for K'ale.
Don't know if it will be the same for Dalora, but she'll have foster
siblings."

"She'll have K'ale," U'kaiah pointed out. "I never had brothers or
sisters to grow up with, foster or natural." Though he was sure there
could be some out there. "Another thing I wondered while I was laying
with Tavia - how do I know there aren't more? I mean, she's an
experienced greenrider and knows how to take procautions. If it could
happen to her, it could happen to anyone. I'm actually a little
surprised now that it's only happened to me twice. I'm sure it's
happened more than that. I know it has. I took a young holder girl
/between/ myself once. But considering all the Flights, all the
parties, all women who passed through the Weyr... Are there more out
there that I just don't know about?"

"Oh probably," he said. He'd thought about that many times himself.
"They don't even know themselves sometimes what with flights and
friendly play. Sometimes there is no clear way to tell, so they don't.
I find myself looking at the kids in the lower caverns and wondering
when one looks like K'ale." He chuckled "Maybe now I should be
wondering if I'm a grandfather."

"I think you should be wondering if it wasn't by _me_," U'kaiah grinned,
refilling both their glasses. "Although, K'ale might have already sired
a child or two. I certainly had plenty of notches on my bedpost by his
age, so to speak."

D'ale laughed. "Very funny," he said. "Though I have to say I was
certain he wouldn't Impress green." He lifted his glass. "Here's to
the lower caverns and notches in our bedposts."

Last updated on the March 21st 2012

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Notches in the Bedpost