The Most Comfortable Couch
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyrhold
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Elsewhere on Pern
NPC Weyr (NPC)
River Bluff Weyr
Seacraft Hall
Writers: Bree, Eimi
Date Posted: 28th December 2005
Characters: Almonteo, Carmora
Description: Almonteo and Carmora recieve a letter that bears both good news and trouble...
Location: Harper Hall
Date: month 9, day 12 of Turn 3
"Carmora! Where are you? I have a letter!" The Hallmaster walked into their rooms, a small blue flit chittering and following behind. "Is there anything I can feed to a flit anywhere?"
"There's some leftover meatrolls on the table next to my chair,"
Carmora's voice came from the sleeping chamber. "The flit might like those..."
The flit had already found them and was digging in quite happily. "It's from Teomor!" he called to his wife as he took a seat by the table.
Carmora appeared in the doorway with one of his shirts, beaming. "Well, don't just sit there! Read it! What does it say?"
"All right, all right. It says," he cleared his throat and brought it a bit closer so he could make sense of his son's Healer handwritting. "'Dear Mama and Pa, Minidra and I are doing well. We celebrated little Mordra's third birthday yesterday. Thank you both for the gift. She's loves it and won't put it down.'"
The Hallmaster turned towards his wife. "We sent a gift? What was it?"
Carmora rolled her eyes as she leaned over her husband's shoulder. "I told you when I sent it! Sometimes I wonder if you really listen." "I was busy with the Harper Hall Welcome," her husband grumbled. "Are you going to just look over my shoulder or do you want me to keep reading?"
She kissed his cheek fondly, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.
"Keep reading. I like to listen to your voice." He smiled smuggly as he cleared his throat.
"'She is talking much more now. For a while there were afraid we were never going to be able to understand her ramblings, but we are pleased to report her speaking has greatly improved. The specialist assures us that some children are just faster at speaking than others and that he is not in the least afraid that there is anything wrong with her.'"
"Good," Almonteo interjected. "I knew she wasn't a slow child."
"Of course she wasn't!" Carmora said firmly. "All of our children started talking at different times... it's just the way it is." "Yes, well, you know know, everything is scarier when its your first." He cleared his throat again.
"'We are especially happy to hear this news as it seems that Mordra is going to be a big sister soon! We just found out that Minidra is pregnant again!'"
Carmora's arms tightened around her husband dangerously. "Oh, she is?
Almonteo, you must find a dragonrider to take us there the first chance you get! We're to have another grandchild!"
Almonteo was as pleased as his wife. He turned his head as best he could with her arms restricting him and kissed her cheek. "What a family we've started! Let's see if we can't get Almora to take you the next restday."
"So long?" Not that anything terribly important would happen in the next few days... but she adored her son's wife, and wanted to be there. "Love, I promise, you won't have to wait any longer than a few days before the next restday. The baby will not come before then."
Carmora swatted her husband's shoulder. "Don't make fun of me. I just want to see them!" "I know you do my love. I know you do," he chuckled. "Why don't we see if you can't spend a seven day with them? Now that the Harper Hall Welcome is finished, its a good time for you to go."
Her eyes lit up at the thought. "I'll ask them if they'd care for a visit when we write back. You must come for at least a day or two...
surely they can spare you for _one_ night..." Almonteo sighed and set the letter down on the table. Pushing his chair back he pulled his wife gently down into his lap. "Take them my love for me, Carmora."
"No!" she protested, her smile fading. She wrapped her hands in his tunic, her eyebrows drawing together. "You aren't serious, Amonteo. Not even _one_ night?" "It's too soon, love. It's too soon for me to be making spontaneous visits." He knew it was not what Carmora wanted to hear, and it wasn't that he didn't miss his family too. But his first duty had to be to the Hall right now. "In a couple months maybe..."
Carmora released her husband's tunic and stood, the expression on her face suddenly anything but friendly. "You're telling me it will be a few _months_ before you can spare time for your family?"
He raised a finger. "I didn't say a few, I said a couple." Almonteo knew he was digging himself in deeper, but it was a battle he was going to lose anyway. The Hallmaster knew it was too soon to leave the Hall, and he knew there was no way to convince his wife it wasn't because his family wasn't equally important.
His wife opened her mouth.
His wife closed her mouth. Spinning on one foot, Carmora marched toward their sleeping chamber. A few moments later, his pillow came sailing out, landing several paces short of the couch. The muttered words that followed were thankfully muffled enough that none of them were understandable. Almonteo sighed as he looked down at the pillow. He knew where _he'd_
be sleeping for a while. Well, he could at least rest in the knowledge that he had thought ahead, and picked the weyr with the most comfortable couch.
Last updated on the December 29th 2005