Returning Home Once More

Writers: Ames, Eimi
Date Posted: 5th August 2013

Characters: Shyow, Whadi
Description: Shyow give Whadi an update on her Turns End adventures...
Location: Vintner Hall
Date: month 1, day 3 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: R'mer

She hadn't seen Whadi in awhile. They had kept her extra busy at the
Tavern and she hadn't been able to get the time to make the trip back
to their childhood home. She'd also been working on their little
_project_.

"Whadi?" Shyow called out as she walked into the house and dropped her
travel sack. She was tired after the walk.

Looking around, Shyow felt out of place here for the first time she
could recall. Now that she spent most of her time at the tavern,
_that_ felt like home to her, not this house that had been her home
for so many Turns. The thought gave her pause.

He came out of the kitchen, bleary-eyed and cup of klah in hand. "I
just woke up," he said, his voice low and raspy. As her back had been
turned, he wrapped his one free arm around her shoulders and pulled her
back against him in a sort of hug. "Welcome home. I missed ya." Whadi
placed a kiss on the top of her head before letting her go so he could
put a bit more food into his rolling stomach. "I might still be drunk,"
he warned her, expecting her to follow.

She'd wanted to giggle and smack him when he'd grabbed her, but all
she could think of was how strongly he smelled of the drink. Shyow
frowned. _That_ was all she smelled anymore. Drunken men who grabbed
at her and expected her to do their bidding. **Not R'mer, though,**
she thought and found a smile forming on her lips at their last
encounter.

Leaving her bag for now she followed Whadi. The house looked a bit
worse for the wear since she last left. It needed some picking up. She
righted a few things on her way, unable to stop herself. It had become
second nature to her to keep the tavern looking tip-top. That same
feeling spilled over into the house as she moved about.

"Sorry it's been so long. They've had me working extra hours and I
couldn't get away before now." She looked around again and wanted to
wrinkle her nose in disgust. "What have you been up to?"

He took a deep breath, letting it out in one long sigh as he tried to
think of his answer. "I dunno. Just little things here and there.
Dusser and Terpone were staying here a few nights, but I made sure they
knew you were coming back today, so they cleared out this morning I
guess." He grabbed up his spoon once more to stir his now cool
porridge. "How was your Turns End? I wish you could have come with me.
Some people back home were asking about you."

She was glad Dusser and Terpone were gone. They annoyed her.

"Turn's End was good. Really busy at the tavern though. I couldn't get
away. They paid extra marks for the night and I managed to _earn_,"
she rubbed her fingers together at that, "a bit extra on the side. The
drunken fools have no idea that I'm taking from them."

"Nice," Whadi nodded before stuffing the spoon in his mouth. "Tell me
your bronzerider didn't come to find you," he said with a sparkle in his
eye.

"Yes, he did stop by," Shyow replied. There was a hint of something
more in her voice and a slight twinkle in her eye. "I've got him good.
I think. He took me for a ride on his dragon and was _all_ over me.
Nothing happened, _yet_, but I think he wanted it to."

"Oh?" Whadi just stirred a bit more sweetener into his porridge. "He's
a dragonman. Those guys can't keep their hands to themselves. If he
wanted to, he would have."

That made her pause. She'd _assumed_ R'mer had wanted her. He'd given
her the signs that she'd gotten from other men before, but Whadi had a
point. Why hadn't he just pushed things further between them.

Frowning a bit, she replied, "I'll have to keep working on him then.
He must not see me that way yet. I need to get him wrapped around my
finger if he's going to be useful to our plans."

"Why let _him_ make the first move?" Whadi asked around another
spoonful. "Don't wait for him to make all the decisions. Sometimes you
should decide for him. _You_," he said, pointing his spoon at her in
emphasis, "need to take control of the situation. Don't hand it off to
him. That's dangerous. That's when you're weak."

Whadi was always good at planning and masterminding things. Shyow
listened to his words and thought about it. Perhaps she could let
R'mer know she wanted him. Push things along. Get him to do what _she_
wanted. Yes, that sounded like a good plan.

"Alright, I think I can work on that," she replied to Whadi. She
hadn't quite figured out exactly what she would do, but ideas were
beginning to develop.

"When will you see him next?" he asked, throwing his spoon into his now
empty bowl.

"I don't know for sure," she replied. "He's never indicated a specific
time that he would return. He seems to be stopping by more often now,
but I can't guarantee when he'll be back."

"We'll need to fix that," Whadi said, leaning back in his chair with a
thoughtful expression. "He won't be as much use to us if we can't call
him when we need him. 'Course, we're far from that point yet if we
don't even know where you stand with him."

She frowned, "I'll work on more. I promise." She found, now that she
was home again, she wanted to please Whadi as she always had in the
past. "I'll find a way to get him to _need_ me, and for me to be able
to reach him easier when I need him."

"I know you will," he said, having the utmost confidence in her and her
motives. "There's a pot of klah," he said with a wave of his head
towards the stove. "Do you want a mug?"

"Yeah," Shyow replied, "I can get it." She rose, moved over to fish
out a mug, then filled it with klah." With drink in hand she walked
over to stand beside him.

"I forget how nice it is to be home," she found the longer she was
around Whadi the more this felt like home again. He'd always been
there for her. She couldn't remember a time when he was not there.
There was comfort in
that.

"Oh, I brought a bag of marks. It's not as much as I'd hoped, but I
think someone's onto the fact that marks are going missing, so I've
had to lie low for a bit." She pushed off from where she stood to go
grab the bag. Carrying it back she set it on the table, "Oh and I
filched this dagger-like letter opener from the headwoman. Looks like
it might be worth something." She held out the metal jewel encrusted
dagger.

"I was going to get that for you," Whadi said with a guilty nod towards
the mug, though he took the letter opener eagerly. He scrutinized it
carefully as he fingered the edges with an experienced hand. "It's not
silver, only silver plated," he remarked turning it over and squinting
at the mark he could barely make out. "It is stamped as having come
from the Smithall, so that's good. And this is a Master's mark." He
held the object out for her to see as he pointed out the details. "Made
before the Pass, certainly."

She leaned in closer, noting the marks he described. She wanted to
learn to recognize them better on her own.

"That should make it worth at least something to the right buyer,
right?" She asked.

"Oh certainly. Headwomen usually have quality stuff." Generally,
letter openers were rather common and would not fetch much of a price.
But someone interested in a nice gift for someone might be happy to
trade for it. "You did well," he assured her, always one to encourage
her attempts to advance their cause. "You know, you could even give it
to your bronzerider as a gift."

"Hmm," she thought that over, "I wouldn't want him or the Headwoman to
recognize it. Do you think they would? Or maybe we have something else
here in the house I could use as a gift for him."

"How would the Headwoman recognize it, you goof?" he asked, picking up a
crumb from the table and chucking it at her teasingly. "He wouldn't
take it with him everywhere he goes. And just how well do you think a
bronzerider from a far off Weyr would know a Hall's Headwoman for
Faranth's sake?"

She felt foolish when Whadi put it that way.

"You're right, of course," she replied, wishing she'd have thought of
the idea. Instead she'd worried that R'mer would somehow know she was
stealing. She didn't _want_ him to know, but not for the same reasons
as everyone else. He seemed to believe in her in ways no one else ever
had.

"It will make a perfect gift for him," Shyow reached out her hand for
the letter opener. "I will give it to him the next time I see him."

Whadi laughed softly, handing it back to her before picking up his mug
and depositing it into the sink. He'd wash it later, when he felt more
like himself. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders from behind once
more, he placed a fond kiss on the top of her head. "It's good to have
you home. I miss you when you're gone." He gave her one more squeeze.
"I'm going to wash up a bit. And then I can give you _your_ Turns End
present."

"You got me a present for Turn's End?" Shyow asked, surprised. She
really hadn't brought Whadi a present, other than the bag of coins and
such she's pilfered from the patrons at the tavern.

"Don't I every Turn?" he chuckled. "I won't be long," Whadi promised,
tickling her side for good measure. "You'd better be here when I get
back."

She chuckled. "Where else would I go Whadi? This is home."

Last updated on the September 3rd 2013

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Returning Home Once More