Baby Beds, Boats and Boots

Xanadu Weyr - Siebith's Weyrbarn

Covered in rough, weathered wood, aged by the weather and the sun, the irregular grayed clapboards outside of this weyrbarn lend the place has a rustic, masculine charm. White shutters and window boxes overflowing with brightly-hued tangles of flowers on the lower windows and flowering vines twine about the supports for the porch overhang add a feminine touch, softening the stark stone steps leading to it.

The worn stone floor of Siebith's area is just inside the large sliding door. The living area of the weyrbarn has an open, airy layout gives the utilitarian, bachelor-like plain white-washed walls and simple hardwood floors a sense of wide open spaces. A sturdy mahogany-toned table with chairs that somehow manage to match despite their variety accent the earthy, wooden tones of the kitchenette. The same dark reddish hues are in the door at the far side of the barn, as well as in the low-slung coffee table in front of the plush, worn couch. Dusky sea-blue rugs are scattered here and there. Dark golden curtains hang on either side of the many windows and partition off the loft up above, led to by a black wrought iron set of ladder-like stairs. Lilies arranged in glass vases on the tables provide a crisp of white counterpoint to the dark wood tones.

A new addition, the bedroom has walls of the same plain white, but the floors are made of newer wood, still shiny with polish. A four-poster bed of the same red mahogany takes up the most of one wall of the small space, a blue-and-cream linen coverlet spread on the wide mattress. A set of wooden bureaus take up the bulk of the wall opposite while another wall has been painted upon in the very center with a seascape mural, its crisp blue waters and sandy shores. The final wall is graced by a feminine-looking writing desk stacked with papers and bedecked with knick-knacks. Over the bed, a set of stained-glass windows allows golden-brown light mingled with white whorls and blue haze to shine into the room with the rising of the sun, though both panes are able to be unlocked and swung wide to accept lake breezes.


Yay for days off! It means sleeping late, or as late as two 14 month old toddlers will allow, anyway. But it is still night time and both of them are awake? Nono! This isn't the plan. Alas, someone neglected to inform them. There's a KER-WHUMP from the other room where the cradle-slings hang, a questioning voice from Marella followed by an "Oh oh!" from Muir. He's happy to use one of the few expressions that he knows means something. Thea's upright and swinging out of bed at that thump, mama's ear attuned as it is to their needs for all these months. Swift feet make their way out, light is flipped on and there's silence before chortles of glee can be heard from the twins. Mama's joined the party! Nothing else to be heard before the light is switched off and a moment later Thea is sliding back into the space beside her weyrmate with a wriggling tot in each arm. Welcome to morning, ready or not!

That noise brings a wince from D'had, but seeing as Thea's getting up to check on it he's leaving her to it. Of course her getting up means him letting her go, but when she returns he's still there rolled over on his stomach with face in the pillow. "Things okay?" he inquires, words muffled by the pillow.

Queue eyes rolling from Thea. "Did things -sound- okay?" Slight sarcasm there for that apparent lack of concern he's showing, for yes, for that thump could have woken the- well, someone lost *Between*. "They aren't hurt, luckily," she answers tartly, likely covering for some other emotion. She settles herself, letting Muir go as she reaches down to flip the coverlet back over the three of them. There's a bit of a sigh from her then but no further words. Let the man sleep. While Marella is content to lie cuddled on her mommy for the moment, Muir makes good his escape, wriggling down to the foot of the bed, Thea's grab for his ankle just missing as he tweaks his foot away.

D'had was far too asleep to have realized how loud that thump might have been. Now however he is awake, especially with the addition of the twins to the bed. "Well they're okay," he replies, coming to a bit more and rolling over halfway. That's just in time to catch a glimpse of the escaping boy, which means he has to move - sit up part way to grab after him a hand reaching under the boy's belly and pulling him back. "Mornin' to you too."

It's dark, but those movements of Muir's give away where he's headed. Thea has lifted a leg to trap the boy beneath her calf before he can scoot off the end of the bed, but he won't be held there long if he has any say about it - and he's trying, his squeal of protest sounds a lot like NaAAAAaaah! "Thanks," she mutters with a bit of a sigh when D'had grabs the boy, shifting her leg and thus releasing the writhing tot to his care. Muir squeals when he's picked up, little hands patting those larger ones around him, pronouncing by Braille, "Daaa!" Marella chimes in, squirming towards her brother's voice. "The hammock frame tipped over," Thea adds in only the sort of way a mother can when she's sure her babies have escaped certain death by a hair. She's a little shaken by it.

D'had ahhs, settling back into place and holding the boy down beside him. Loose, but tight enough he's not going to get very far very fast unless Donn falls back asleep. "They're gettin' a bit big for it. Yeah.." he agrees with a sigh. Not that their being able to wiggle so much in them helps all that much either. "I'll figure somethin' out today."

Muir doesn't -like- being held still, thus legs and arms flail, although it's a slow-motion sort of trying to get limbs gathered underneath him to wrest his freedom back. The boy isn't worried at all if he thwaps faces in the process, either. Marella arches her back to lift her head and peer at her brother, his small grunts easily tell her he's right there. "No cages, tempting though that might be," chuckles Thea, nerves beginning to settle, she turns on her side to face her weyrmate, allowing Marella to roll off of her into that space between them. "They're growing up," pride in her tone and a bit of a teasing note. "They'll be running all over the Weyr soon." So they haven't really been walking for long, but she can't resist saying it.

D'had chuckles, "Promise." There will be no cages, but it is an amusing thought when she mentions it at any rate. "Don't remind me," he replies with a sigh of I don't even want to think about that right now. "Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle," he teases the boy he's still trying to keep a-hold of, his other hand reaching down to tickle him.

Marella is calm enough that Thea allows the little girl her freedom and indeed, she doesn't go far. She steers clear of the chortling, writhing Muir, that tickling eliciting the predicted response as the boy tries to evade his father's fingers. Thea, drapes an arm on her pillow, bends her elbow and props her head on one hand. Tickled babes are hard to get back to sleep, hence she is awake and awake… talking. "Why not?" Still that teasing note in her voice, "You already have one running around the weyr." Pause. "Unsupervised."

D'had apparently isn't worried about getting them back to sleep. He's more about keeping him wrangled for the moment. "Yeah, well…" he starts again after a moment. Them getting bigger means, well a number of things. He's getting older and they're going to be that much harder to keep track of. "And that's… not the same."

"Yeah well, what?" Thea sounds a little more serious now. Unvoiced thoughts, unfortunately do not help her understand him any better. Marella is slowly wriggling under the coverlet towards their feet, perhaps growing sleepy; she's certainly quiet enough. Muir is making the attempt to scale his daddy to get to the other side - there's just that sort of challenge about it that he -must- try. "Why's it not the same?" There's a frown in Thea's voice now as she tries to understand. "They know he's yours, they're gonna be coming to you when stuff happens," she reasons.

"They're already on their own, they," a nod to indicate the twins as Donn pulls Muir back into place between him and Thea. Of course the darkness might hide the movement, but its heard in his voice too, that slight pause. "aren't." They're his babies in more ways than the simple fact that they're barely one. "It just is."

"Oh but…" Thea disagrees above Muir's protest at having his adventure redirected, "N'shen is a lot younger than Hali, Donn. He's at loose ends." In the dark her brows knit in concern at his 'just is'. Silent for a few moments, if he can hear her breathing pick up just a little, he won't be surprised when she says into the dark rather emphatically, "Well, it shouldn't be!" Down by their feet Marella grasps that blanket and rolls blissfully, twisting herself into a little cocoon.

D'had can't help but chuckle at the girl's antics, even if his covers are being stolen. "Well it's not," he replies. Yes, he knows it shouldn't, but that doesn't change things, and that much is in his voice. "And the girls are in the middle." Of Hali and the twins, so right around there with Nash. "Look babe, I'm tryin'. Just… takes some gettin’ used to." All this.

Thea leans closer, trying to discern his face in the dark. Marella, cozy in her space grows still, humming idly, soothing herself to inertia. Muir pops a thumb in his mouth, the other hand creeping to find his daddy's ear, his little fingers curl 'round it just enough to hold on and flex rhythmically. Now if D'had were a cow… "The girls have Asher. N'shen has no one. Anatasha's made it clear -she- can't be bothered." Thea's voice is mutinous but then… his last words give her pause. Understanding colors her next words, "Yes, I guess it does." Floundering just a bit then, "Were you… how did you…" Curse the dark, she can't see his face! "It must have been a shock for you too?"

If D'had were a cow… But he's not, so he simply moves that hand that was earlier tickling the boy to move his hand. Donn likes his ears without baby fingers in them even if Muir has always seemed to think otherwise. "Yeah well…" Asher apparently wasn't part of his consideration in all that. "Yeah," he agrees, leaving it at that, the word said in something of a sigh even as he reaches a hand over to search out hers. "Was for all of us I think."

Marella's humming fades to even breathing, Muir resists having his hand moved with an irritable squeal without taking his thumb from his mouth. He liked that ear lobe! But he's no match for that bigger hand and half-asleep as well, thus his fingers curl possessively around D'had's thumb instead. Thea’s hand is easily enough found, fingers thread between his. Regretfully, "I'm sorry. I didn't help either of you there." With her reaction to the whole thing. Musing aloud, "I want him to feel wanted, Donn." Her fingers give his a gentle squeeze, hoping to get her point across.

D'had gives that lopsided grin of his, hidden as it is by the darkness of the room. He returns that squeeze of hers with one of his own. "Its okay," he replies, understanding of that regret in her voice. "I'll do my best, just… well its hard coming in the middle ya know?"

Thea mmms languidly, "I suppose it is. Takes time to get to know people but," she drops the hand propping up her head, lowering it to pillow upon her upper arm. "you have a head start." There's a smile in her voice as the fingers of the hand he's not holding reach to idly trail through his hair. "The boy has been watching you, knows quite a bit about you already." So they're halfway there? "I know something that might help…" She takes a moment to prod Marella gently with a toe. Yep the babe is sound asleep. Muir isn't, but he's almost there.

D'had hmms, still keeping a loose hold on the hand of Thea's that he has. Marella might be asleep, and Muir almost there, but he's almost there too, really. "Suppose," he agrees, a touch reluctant, but she has a point there and he knows enough to realize that. "What's that?"

"Take him to meet your family," Thea responds promptly, likely knowing from the tone of his voice just how close to snoring he really is. "They haven't seen the twins yet either," she points out. "After they graduate, of course. A cruise on the Vega Run might help… you know, break the ice?" Muir sighs a long, quavering exhale and stills completely. Speaking of ice, in that space of time, Thea remembers, "Boy needs some boots, too. Wearing sandals in the winter!" She doesn't snort, exactly, but it's close.

D'had mmms, the subtle nod of his head going unseen. "Think bout it tomorrow." In the morning. Sometime when he's not on the verge of sleep. That answer goes to meet both the idea of family and boots alike. "Ma'd like it, boots good, yeah." Thoughts run together, Muir still has hold of one thumb, his other hand still on Thea's though likely setting a bit heavier now.

There's no further talking coming from Thea. She's aware enough how sleepy her weyrmate is and thus carefully draws that Marella-cocoon back up the bed towards her, covering D'had and herself as best she can with the slack it affords the coverlet. She directs D'had's hand where it can rest on her hip, snuggles close enough to share his pillow, tucking her head under his chin. Best she can do with the twins sleeping between them. Morning, when it comes will find the four of them cuddled like a litter of canines on that bed with covers twisted all over the place.


Sometime the next day after N'shen has had lunch with his new family, he finds a paper wrapped box on his cot in the Weyrling barracks with the name N'shen written roughly on the outside. When he opens it, there's something bulky wrapped in a soft blanket. A single sheet of heavy vellum the color pale gold edged in gilt is folded crosswise and laid atop the bundle. When opened, it releases the faint scent of jasmine. Written in a feminine hand are these words:

For you N'shen, to keep the winter's chill
off and remind you someone cares.
Muir and Marella will be sad if you do not
wear these before you outgrow them.

~D'had Thea Muir and Marella

That blanket is silky-soft and obviously hand-woven from camelid wool, then brushed to give the fibers a furry texture and dyed the same blue color as Siebith is. There's a small tag in one corner that reads:

"Handmade for N'shen by Thea"

Wrapped inside the blanket are a pair of calf-high hide boots. They're obviously not new, but someone has taken the time to select them from stores and re-stain them in a deep topaz, then buff with polish to waterproof and shine them, minimizing the scuffs. A pair of new hide laces have been bundled and tucked inside one of the boots and in the other is a pair of thick, cream-colored boot socks.

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