Guess Who's Coming To Dinner

Writers: AL, Paula, Suzee
Date Posted: 18th August 2013

Characters: Zathris, Benani, D'ale, Yanley
Description: Zathris and D'ale have dinner with Yanley and Benani after the talk.
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 2, day 1 of Turn 7
Notes: Follows Concerned

Zathris

Benani

D'ale

Yanley

D'ale followed Zathris out of his office after their talk. It hadn't
gone the way he'd thought and though he'd been ready to take the
chastisement he deserved it hadn't happened. He wasn't quite sure how
he felt about that because guilt still weighed a bit heavy on his
shoulders. But he vowed he that if she'd have him he'd make every
effort to make her happy. If anyone deserved it, Yanley did.

"Let's go to the women's solar. It's very possible that Yanley is
there now." And Zathris wouldn't be surprised if Benani was with her.
He had a feeling his wife would be rather protective of her sister
right now - and he couldn't blame her.

Yanley should have been sewing more baby clothes. Instead she nearly
hung out of the window and fretted. "That was Toreranth, I'm sure of
it. I can recognize his brown hide anywhere."

"Torerath?" Benani put her own sewing down to join her sister by the window.

Yanley was right, of course. The door opened and into the solar
stepped two men! Zathris nodded to Yanley, then reached out his hand
to Benani as he moved toward them. "We have a guest for dinner."

Benani took her husbands hand with a smile. "Welcome," she said
graciously to the brownrider.

D'ale nodded respectfully to the Lady Holder noting the resemblance
between the two sisters. "A pleasure to meet you Lady Benani." Then
he turned to Yanley with a smile. "And a pleasure to see you Lady
Yanley."

"D'ale!" Yanley's eyes and face lit up. Only thing that kept her running to
his arms was that she was now so far along with her pregnancy that running
was out of the question.

D'ale held out his hand to her in the same way Zathris had done just
moments before but he was no Lord and instead he approached her. Yanley's
smile was beautiful to behold as was the swell of her abdomen. More than
anything he wanted to take her into his arms but he knew better. Lord
Zathris might think it was best for Lady Yanley to accompany him to the
Weyr that didn't mean he condoned their behavior.

"And how is my lovely wife?" Zathris squeezed Benani's hand then leaned
over to kiss her cheek. "Are you two hungry?" He imagined Yanley was.
Pregnant women seemed to always be hungry.

"I'm fine," Benani said and leaned into the kiss. "How'd it go," she asked
in a whisper.

Zathris nodded to his wife. He didn't want to talk in front of
Yanley. He could discuss it in more detail in private.

"What brings you here, D'ale?" Yanley asked.

"Love," he smiled, "and Lord Zathris invited me to dinner."

"I love you too," Yanley formed the words with her lips, without
sound. She took D'ale's arm and gave her brother-in-law a curious
look. "Dinner sounds great, let's go. _We_ are starving," her free
hand came to rest on the swell of her belly.

D'ale waved a hand with an incline of his head to indicate the Lord
and Lady of the Hold should precede them through the door. Once their
backs were turned he gave Yanley a quick kiss on the cheek before he
too followed them.

As soon as they were through the door to their private family dining
room, Benani let go of her husband's arm and moved to her chair.

Zathris pulled out the chair for his wife and, once she and Yanley
were settled, took a chair for himself. He nodded to the servants and
then turned back to his companions. "How are you feeling today,
Yanley?" Zathris had no idea what it was like to be pregnant, he'd
only seen it through both of his wives. He did, however, have
sympathy for the discomfort women went through because of it.

"I'm fine considering this," she patted her belly. "You really don't
want me to list all the minor nuisances it causes me?"

"But I would like to hear," D'ale said softly with a smile. He wanted
to be there with her and for her and he'd already missed so much of
her pregnancy.

"That I'm been used as punching bad, from inside. I'm constantly need
to go to the toilet and I have heartburns. Sleeping is becoming
difficult," Yanley listed out and sit down.

Benani grinned at her sister and quipped... "Yeah? Try it with twins!"

Just the thought made Yanley groan. "One is enough for me," she said.

"Hey, I suffered too." Zathris pointed out with amusement in his
tone. "I mean, she takes up a lot of the bed as it is. I didn't only
have her rolling around, but those two hooligans rolling around when
she wasn't. I could feel them all the way in the tiny corner I'm
allowed at night."

D'ale chuckled and nodded at Zathris. He'd had his share being kicked
to the corner of the bed. "But," he smiled. "Whatever makes her
comfortable, that is the most important thing."

"Beast," she tapped Zathris' hand where it lay on the table and picked
up her wineglass with a smile. "I like your attitude," Benani smiled
at D'ale.

"Me too," Yanley agreed, not even bothering to hide the warmth in her
smile to D'ale. "What kind of is your weyr? I've visited Weyrs, but
I've never seen the individual weyrs where the riders actually live.
Just the Hatching grounds and Dining halls."

Zathris schooled his face into a picture of innocence. "What?" He
grinned behind his cup as he took a sip of his wine, then fell silent
when Yanley quizzed Dale. If she was asking about that, perhaps she
was thinking about going to the Weyr.

"I have a rather large weyr, he smiled. Being a Wingsecond gives me
Rank privileges and some additional living space. I also have my own
private bathing pool. Not as large as a Wingleader but adequate." He
smiled and nodded. "The rooms are cut deep into the rock face so they
keep a fairly even temperature but we have several braiziers to keep
us warm in winter. Tonuth acts as a pretty effective windbreak but we
have a nice cooling breeze in the summer.

"That sounds nice," Yanley said. "You know, I'm Blood, I'm used to
certain standard of living. I'm very high maintenance woman," she
continued, half joking. It was certainly true she was used to luxury
and privileges. She was also sure, that if situation demanded, she
could do well with much less. She had been unhappy Lady Holder,
especially during the last Turns of her marriage, and knew material
things didn't bring you happiness. She could live in run down shack,
if she was otherwise happy and loved.

Zathris cast a look over at his wife. He wasn't sure what Yanley
would do if she didn't have the finer things in life. She'd always
been privileged. Of course, if he was a Wingsecond, the rider wasn't
exactly a low man on the pole either. The Lord Holder didn't say a
word. The conversation was exactly where he wanted it to be and he
hoped that by allowing the two to discuss it openly and in front of
them might make Yanley more open to the idea herself.

Benani's eyes flared and she sent back a humorous gaze to her husband.
Her sister could have a dry sense of humor when the mood took her.

"Well dear," D'ale said with a smile. "I'm sure we could get you a
goldrider suite if you ask nicely. But I'd much prefer you weyrmate
with _me_." When he said the last his expression turned serious.

"If I bring in all my own decorations, the gold riders will be envious
of your weyr," Yanley said with low laugh and reached to touch his
hand.

Yes, that was the spirit. Zathris smiled and worked on eating his
food, glad that they were discussing it, even if it was partially in
jest. What was said in jest could be considered seriously in time.

"Only if they see it," he grinned. His heart suddenly felt light. She
wouldn't be joking this way with him unless she was really going to
come. But that was the hundred mark question. "When do you think
you'll be ready?"

"I don't know?" suddenly uncertain, she realized she was committed
now. She looked Benani in a silent plea of support. "If we wait too
long, the baby will be born..." she murmured. "But I do need few days
to pack."

"Don't worry about that," Benani spoke up. "Zelanka and I will handle
that for you, and anything you can't take dragonback we can ship to
the Weyr with the next tythe train." She nodded encouragingly.

"Alright," D'ale said with a smile. "I have everything you need for
right now, except your clothes. I can bring another rider back with me
and we'll load both dragons." He nodded with a smile. "Is two days
long enough for that much?" Truthfully he wasn't in a rush so much to
hurry her away from the Hold as to get her safely /between/ during the
time it was still safe for her to travel that way. He looked to the
Lady Holder for confirmation, "Then the rest of your furniture and the
bigger things can come with the tithe train."

Zathris wanted to breath a sigh of relief but he held that in and
instead took a long sip of wine. Good. He didn't want to push Yanley
away, but he really was truly concerned for her and he didn't want her
to suffer because of her bad choices. "You'll have all the support
you need."

"That sounds good," Yanley said, realizing she was committed now. In
the end, the choice hadn't been that hard. She wanted to be with
D'ale, meet his children, his friends.

Benani nodded in the brownrider's direction. She was more than happy
to do what she could for her sister and there was no denying how
deeply they felt for one another. She reached for her for her husbands
hand under the table.

D'ale smiled in relief. He lifted her hand to his lips. "You make me
very happy my Lady."

Last updated on the September 3rd 2013

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Guess Who's Coming To Dinner