Picnic with a Family

Writers: Eimi, Paula
Date Posted: 30th May 2013

Characters: U'kaiah, Aileyan, Kaiafel, Ravyan
Description: U'kaiah and Aileyan take their family out to enjoy the end of the Turn.
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 13, day 29 of Turn 6
Notes: Mentioned: Tavia

"Hey Ravyan, pass me another cookie," Kaiafel said, pointing to the box
sitting on the blanket next to his adopted younger brother.

"Manners, son," U'kaiah reminded him, stretching out and pillowing his
head on Aileyan's thigh to stare up at a puffy cloud floating across
the sky. "You're not the Lord of the Hold."

"Ravyan, would you please pass me another cookie?" Kaiafel corrected himself.

Ravyan pushed the whole box closer to the older boy.

"There's another one without manners, Timor! Don't steal food!" she
tried lazily shoo the firelizard off from the meatrolls.

"He can have it, I'm stuffed," the bronzerider sighed contentedly. It
was a gorgeous day for a picnic, and the weather was nice and warm in this
mountain valley. While most people seemed to prefer beaches, when
U'kaiah got away, he liked a nice mountain meadow when the weather was
right. "Shards, what a nice way to start a new Turn."

"I want to stack rocks down by the river," Kaiafel declared, spitting
crumbs on the blanket. "Da, will you come?"

"Don't you want your Turn Over present?" his father asked, peeking up at
him. "I bet Ravyan does, right, little man?" U'kaiah poked the
youngster in the stomach playfully.

"Yes! Presents! Did you get presents too, momie?" Ravyan replied and
abandoned his project of soaking cookies and other foods in his juice.

"Presents? What are those?" Aileyan gave her son a wide eyed, innocent
look. Seeing his expression fell she reached for a bag. "I would never
forget them."

"Yes, you both get presents," U'kaiah laughed, sitting up with some
considerable effort. "Do you want to go first or shall I?" he asked
Aileyan, eyeing the bag.

"I'll go first," Aileyan said and pulled out wrapped parchels. "Here's
for you," she gave Ravyan an large one, "One for you," Kaiafel's package
wasn't quite that big, "For you," she handed on for U'kaiah and then took
out a
small, soft package "...And this is for Kaiavin, if you could give it
for me when you see them?" She was pretty sure U'kaiah was going to meet
Tavia and the baby at some point.

U'kaiah was truly touched. It almost didn't matter what his actual gift
was. The fact that Aileyan included his other son in her thoughts at
Turn Over was more than he could hope for.

Kaiafel, however could care less. He ripped open his package with
gusto.

Ravyan wasn't any slower opening his gift. He looked oddly the new
wherhide jacket.

"It's for dragonrides, you're growing out of your old one," Aileyan
said. Ravyan looked disappointed until the wooden, carved canine fell out
from
the jacket. It was one of those with wheels instead of legs so you could
push it around or pull along. His expression turned delighted. "A
puppy!" he cried.

"I got some sticks and a handkerchief," Kaiafel said with some
confusion. What did he need sticks for?

"It's a kite, Kaiafel," U'kaiah informed him helpfully. "I'll show you
how to put it together after you open my presents. But first..." The
bronzerider pulled at the string that held his package together. "Now
it's that a handsome belt," he said, lifting up the thick piece of
leather. It was beautifully embossed with an ivy pattern. Good and
strong, and it would last him a good while. "Thank you, sweetheart."
He leaned over to give her a soft kiss on the cheek.

"You're welcome. What did you get for us?" Aileyan replied and asked. She
was almost as eager as the children to get presents.

U'kaiah passed both boys a present. "Here you are, boys. You first."

Ravyan tore open his present. "Is a book," he stared it with confusion.

"Now you can practise your letters," Aileyan said and leaned to look. "See,
doesn't that green look just like Kjarrie?" she leafed thru the pages.

"No," Ravyan replied, and dropping book, returned to play with the
puppy-toy, feeding it soggy cookies.

"Oh, hey, I love that book!" Kaiafel cried, abandoning his brand new book,
also a gift from the bronzerider, in favor of his childhood favorite.

U'kaiah couldn't quite hide his rather crestfallen smirk. He had thought a
book would be a great present! He certainly paid enough for them to make a
good present. "Come on, Kaiafel," he said with a resigned sigh. "I'll
help you put your kite together." At least he got one present he could
enjoy.

Aileyan couldn't help a little giggle seeing his expression. "Don't worry,
I love my book," she said, pressing in against her chest and leaning to
kiss him. She didn't had heart to tell him she's already read it, at the
age of thirteen. She had grown up in a harper hall after all, surrounded by
books.

"That's not your real present," he said with a slight shrug, now doubting
whether he had made the right for her either. U'kaiah put on a brave smile
of gratitude at least. He knew she was trying to make him feel better.
"It's back at the Weyr. But I knew you would never forgive me if you
didn't have _something_ to open."

"Now you got me curious," Aileyan said. "Is it something that couldn't be
shown to the children?" she asked with more quiet voice. Now that thought
made her something else but curious.

"No, just not something you'd bring on a picnic," he said to quickly clear
up any misunderstanding. But then he caught the gleam in her eye, and it
made him give her a genuine smile. "But it will come in handy when we're
in bed together."

"Now I won't get any peace of mind until I know what it is," Aileyan said
with a sigh. "I'm as bad as Ravyan when it comes to gifts," she chuckled.

"Let me get them settled with the kite, and then I'll tell you," he
promised, rising to his feet. "Read your book until I get back. Maybe
you'll forget all about it and then I won't have to tell you."

"Not likely," Aileyan grinned.

U'kaiah took the boys to the middle of the meadow and showed them how to
get the kite in the air, and how to both let out and reel back in the line.
When he was satisfied that they could entertain themselves for a little
while, he walked back towards the picnic blanket. "Did you forget yet?" he
asked, knowing the answer already but enjoying prolonging her agony just a
little.

Meanwhile, Aileyan had started to read her gift-book. She soon discovered
that being 20 compared to being 13 gave her whole new perspective to the
tale.

He settled himself behind her, wrapping an arm around her middle and
looking down at the page she was open to. Perhaps she had really forgotten
all about the present. And him as well. Good books could do that to you.

"Now, what's the big secret?" she asked, lifting her eyes from the page.

"It's not a big secret, just a present," he insisted. U'kaiah rested his
chin on her shoulder. "I got us each a new set of pillows is all."

"Pillows...now, you know where that leads us. Had to test them after all,"
Aileyan was all innocence.

"Oh, shells, you mean you're going to hit me again, aren't you," he said,
leaning to the side to look her in the face suspiciously.

"Exactly. Pillow fighting!" she smiled brilliantly.

"And then making up," he added, which a slight wiggle of his eyebrows.
U'kaiah could hear the boys giggling and laughing off in the distance, so
he boldly slipped his hand under the hem of her shirt. "Not exactly the
purpose I had bought them for, but I'm all for a little fun."

"Me too," Aileyan agreed,

"I just thought," he said a bit more seriously, pulling her closer against
his body, "that we've been visiting each other's beds for a Turn now. You
like your pillows one way, and I like mine another. So I bought us each a
set of pillows with _both_ kinds. Now we can both be comfortable, no
matter which bed we sleep in. You see, I don't think of it as 'visiting'
each other's beds anymore. I think of it as _sharing_ our beds. And I
hope you do, too."

"I do. It's a nice thought, I would have never thought of it," Aileyan
replied and relaxed against him.

"Well, I think about it a lot. And I wanted you to know that." He was
trying every way possible to show her that she was special and important to
him. Soon he would have to ask her to let Tavia move to Dragonsfall to be
closer to him. U'kaiah wanted her to understand that the other greenrider
was no threat to her. "But I will throw you down on a pile of pillows
later and have my way with you. Just so you know."

"I'll be expecting it," Aileyan said with a small smile. His attention was
doing wonders to her, to correct the bruising her self-confidence had got
during her childhood.

Last updated on the June 4th 2013

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Picnic with a Family