Xanadu Weyr - Dragon's Rest Farm
In contrast to the gigantic barn is the smaller homestead. The structure is a small two-level cottage, complete with a covered porch that sweeps around the exterior. The wooden slats of the house seem freshly painted, as if this old place has been brought back to life by careful hands. A chair-swing sways beneath the shade of the porch, moving with the slightest breeze off the sea. Inside, the quaint space has been decked out with the comforts one might expect. Fluffy rugs cover hardwood floors, and finely carved furniture dominates most of the spaces. A few things here and there seem older, heirlooms that now have a new place to call home.
Everything within the cottage is comfortable, rather than elaborate. Though it may have once been empty, there is now a warm, welcoming feel to the place. Many large windows and sliding doors look out upon both the training field and across the road, a view of the beach and the sea beyond. Even on the hottest days, these can be opened to let in air and leave the rooms cool and comfortable. Set back a ways from many of the other Weyrbarns along the roadway, there is plenty of room for those who need a bit of space and privacy. There is plenty of space, leaving room to grow, to learn, to expand, and most of all… it is a warm, safe place to come home to when the day's tasks are done.
For some people time has a way of racing when you'd really much rather it crawled. So it is for the Weyrwoman - there simply aren't enough minutes in a day to complete the many tasks she'd like to get done. Tasks that include both business as well as social obligations tend to pile up and spill over to the next day…and the next…and the next after that one. Today… well, today is no obligation. It is pure pleasure that brings her down the coastal road in the twilight hour when the summer heat fades in retreat of evening's cool about a month after little Skyler's birth. It's far longer than she'd meant it to be, since she had that first peek at the newborn in the arms of his two dazed parents. Her arms are full - but not of baby. In one there's a large, flat box wrapped in yellow gift-paper, topped with a huge splashy yellow bow that screams 'cheerful' and on the other hangs a large wicker basket while the fingers of that same hand are occupied by holding a bottle of chilled wine by the neck. Shep, as usual, is curled across her shoulders, half hidden by the curtain of dark hair tumbled 'round him. It's a juggling act! And she hasn't trained the brown firelizard to knock for her, so it's with the toe of her boot that she taps the door lightly and calls quietly, "Anyone awake in there?" Surely by now they are, right? Because babies specialize in crying all night and it's…getting to be that time.
Has it really been a month? Nearly that, yes, if calendars are correct and someone hasn't sped up time. It surely feels like it has been. As if someone is pushing that minute hand of the world's clock, urging it to spin faster than it should. It certainly hasn't felt like over four weeks since Skyler's birth, but .. much as Ka'el feels as if they are, calendars don't lie. It's been a month of caretaking. A month of getting to know the new little person that's arrive in their lives. Twenty-something days of diaper changes, and feedings, and waking in the middle of the night, walking around the house because of those middle-of-the-night wakings, and random naps, and baby play, and so .. so… so much more than either of them likely anticipated. How can someone so small need so much all the time? It's a tiring thing, being a parent, especially a first-time one, but there are its rewards. But what Ka'el is doing now? .. Definitely isn't one of those "rewarding" times. Skyler has been crying. Fussy because of a yucky diaper, which Ka'el has the honor of changing this time. The windows of the cottage have been left open. Not because of the diaper, but because it's summer and one would have to be insane to hole themselves up with no ventilation. A light breeze wafts through the curtains, lifting and dropping them lazily while Ka'el gently shushes the cries of his son. (But it isn't as if he's listening) "I know, I know. I've got a clean one right here. Just give me a minute…" He carefully undo's the dirty one, making a face because…omg yuck! Diaper is removed, and a cloth is tossed down upon the nether regions, instantly becoming wet. "Ha! Got you this time," he smirks triumphantly. Pee squirtgun, averted! The knock on the door happens as Ka'el is cleaning, and the voice that drifts through the window is familiar. "Is that you, Thea? Come in!"
It can't have actually been a month. Okay, yes, the calendar, but that's just facts. The reality is that it's been… what, a day? Maybe two of them (three, seven, twelve, and so on…) since Skyler was born and the stack of paperwork got pushed aside for a stack of… diapers? Clean ones, except those get turned into dirty ones with remarkable speed and have to be turned back into clean ones. It's not the baby that's the hard part. Sure, he has things he needs, things he wants, and there are certainly times when it's impossible to figure out what of the things he wants he wants now. Skyler's a challenge, but keeping up with the things needed for the things Skyler needs? That's the real challenge. How do people who aren't organizational weyrleadering experts even manage this? Soriana does not know. There are some days when Soriana doesn't know how she's managing it. "…did we ever actually get more flour?" It's more a hope than a question. She's pretty sure the answer is no, and she's pretty sure that means this banana bread is more like banana-and-sugar-mash. Oh well. It's… not like they actually needed fresh-cooked food, right? Cheese and crackers is a classic! (Assuming they have cheese left. Or crackers.) Soriana will worry about that later, though, because she also hears other voices, and so she emerges from the kitchen wiping her hands on a towel.
…Come in, she's told and Thea stares at the door, a half-grin growing on her face. Everyone's got their hands full from what she can hear drifting from the window. Diaper-changing? She might rather wait until that's finished, but… she's been bidden to enter. She eyes the wine bottle, the handle of that heavy basket through which that arm is looped, then the the package in her other arm for a confuzzled moment. Then she leans the box against the door, braces a hip and shoulder to pin it there (it's unwieldy and awkward but not heavy), and presto! Free hand to turn the knob, which sends the door flying open. Her entrance, thanks to her lean is more of an awkward stumble in with her barely managing to re-grab the package before it goes tumbling to the floor. Her lurch makes Shep squawk, half-flap his wings, sends Thea's dark hair fluttering in disarray. "Hello Weyrleader-family, I promise I haven't been drinking. I come from afar bearing gifts in trade for the child." Enough with the drama, but the merry ice green eyes are looking for said baby. Is it finally her turn to hold him?
Wipe, wipe. Ugh, babies are so gross. How can someone so little make such a big…mess? Ka'el is holding his breath, as he always does when he gets this duty (heh, duty..) as he cleans up Skyler, who throughout the weeks of his life, has gotten squirmier. Still uncoordinated as anything, but stronger with his arm and leg motions. Especially when he's upset, as he is now. But he doesn't stay that way for long, for what was once wet and icky is now dry and fresh with a light layer of powder. "Flour?" He pauses, eyeing that powder he just sprinkled. Uuumm…. Naaah. He wouldnt've mixed the two up .. right? "I thought I…ah, I meant to pick some up today when I went to the office. Passed the kitchens and everything…" he tosses her an apologetic look. "What'd I ruin?" Something cakey, isn't it? No dessert tonight! Skyler is snapped back into his little onesie thing and fiiinally lifted up again to be kissed. "See? All that…for what?" He holds the boy with one arm while discarding the dirty diaper with all the others that need washing (biohazard bin!) with his free hand. Diaper change, done! And gladly some of that wailing has decreased because of that and the fact that he's being lifted again. Gradually, all that's left is a pouty red face and watery blue eyes. Poor baby! And welcome Thea! The Weyrwoman's unintended theatrical entrance is met with a smirk and curious look to all of the stuff that comes with her. "You're sure about the drinking? I've seen hatchlings with more grace," he teases. "And I dunno.. Sori, that sound like a fair trade to you?" he asks, already heading the Senior's way with said baby.
There are worse things than flour for babies to smell like! As Skyler was so recently demonstrating. So if Ka'el did confuse the two… Soriana waves a hand. "Just some banana bread. They were turning brown." Doomed! No good! Except for banana bread. Or - if Skyler were older - being gummed at as mash, but it's not going to last until he's ready for that. "Oh well." Now, about that door that's being remarkably slow to open despite a Thea on the other side of it. Maybe Soriana should actually go see about opening it? She's just got to put down this towel and cross the room and- oh, okay, the door is opening. Rather… drastically, in fact. Maybe she should have gone to open it after all! Soriana gets in one hurried step while Thea stumbles her way in. Running after things about to go wrong is great practice for the rest of parenthood! So is the relieved laughter when they don't actually go wrong. "Well, you didn't drop the presents, I suppoooose we can trust you with the baby." She grins, tossing that towel onto a table where it'll be cleaned up later and heading over to help relieve Thea of her burdens in exchange of one Skyler. To Ka'el, she adds, "We'll have to look at the gifts to know for sure." Baby rental! The better the bribe, the longer the snuggles. …baby-smiles not actually guaranteed.
You think they're messy now, just wait until he's a teenager! Thank Faranth Pern doesn't have cars (don't let him drive your dragon, either!) The smirk is for Ka'el, Soriana is handed the wine. She can have it now that she's no longer pregnant, right? "Not yet," she drawls of drinking, slipping her arm out of the basket for whomever's taking that - it's heavily loaded - biiiig basket! Lots of goodies. The yellow-wrapped gift is handed over to whichever one of them has free hands and then her arms reach for the babe. Get used to it Skyer! You'll be passed around from cooing woman to cooing woman in the caverns until you can run away from them. Then it'll begin all over again when you're fifteen, only they'll chase after you! "I would never drop you, would I Sky Blue? Only if you mess your diapers I'm going to give you back to your papa." Her arms are practiced, he manner easy with the child as she cradles him. On her shoulders, Shep is settling, peering with curiosity at the bundle his person has. But he's a well-behaved firelizard, politely remaining in his own space. "That basket is from the women of Rubicon River Hold. They've been adding things to it for the past month and would have kept going if I hadn't been by there today to pick it up." The top flap has an envelop taped to it that reads, 'Soriana and Ka'el - Baby Survival Kit'.
Ka'el tosses a grin to his weyrmate. "Point," he says, nodding in agreement. A woman that doesn't drop gifts definitely won't drop a baby! Ha, such logic. As it is, things are traded off. Soriana gets the wine. Ka'el takes the heavy basket with his free hand, Skyler still held in the crook of his arm, left watching the going-ons. There sure is a lot that goes on in his life. So many faces and things and sounds! Does it ever end? It can be overwhelming at times, all of the 'stuff' that life consists of. In those times, he cries. But then, things are oh so interesting to see, and day be day he can see a little more. A fractional amount farther. Things are clearer. And with the ever-present mom and dad around, well..what can go wrong? In these times, he's content and watchful like he is now, complaining only slightly when he's traded off to the arms of an unfamiliar face. Gurgle, eh! "He'd better not mess anything," says Ka'el. "I just changed him." Though that really doesn't guarantee anything! With Skyler safe in the arms of Thea, Ka'el collects the basket and gift if Soriana didn't already grab it and peers curiously at the envelope attached to the first. "Baby Survival? Ha! We'll have to send a thank you as proof that their kit's working, once we break it in." A smirk afterward. "That was nice of them, though. .. Really nice." He sets the basket down on the table, then gestures to the wrapped one. "You open that one, and me this one?" Tag team gift opening!
Dragons come with child-safety locks, or at least, they should. They… probably don't, but, one trouble at a time. Skyler now… well, he's already a bit big to go riding around on a firelizard, but he's closer to that scale than actual dragons. He'll grow! He's already growing, in the flurry of time since he's been born. Soriana? Oh yes, she'll take that wine. It's an excellent gift. There's other ones? Great! That'll give her things to look at while she sips at the wine. Thea's got the baby. She's not going to drop the baby. Soriana… heh. She didn't drop the baby either. There were times, in the first few days, when she worried she would, but… she got used to it. Now she only worries when Skyler is particularly squirmy… but Thea's had practice. Two babies of her own, so she knows what she's doing. Skyler will not be dropped. He will look at Thea-face. The firelizard on her shoulders is a familiar sight for baby-blue eyes, nothing scary about those. Faces, though. Faces are one of the most interesting thing in Skyler's life! So… he stares. Meanwhile, Soriana has the wine, which she's not dropping, and also the gift because she has the hand free for it. The part where Ka'el just changed their boy gets a wry little laugh. If only he were obligingly predictable like that! But no. Skyler… forges his own path. Oh, babies. Soriana smiles as she glances to the basket, and nods. "It was." She glances over at the envelope. "I'm surprised it fit in a basket." Why, what does she expect to be in there? …no comment. The bottle of wine is set down, and… "Sorry about the mess," Soriana says vaguely. Assuming, of course, Thea looks away from Skyler long enough to notice it. He's already learned how to be a great distraction! Soriana nods to Ka'el's gift-opening plan. Present time! Yaaaaay! "See, in another turn," she tells Skyler as she puts hand to paper, "You'll be learning to tear things yourself."
Thea is busy making mooshy-faces and kissy noises, murmuring all sorts of nonsense to little Skyler. He'd better not cry! Messy house? Psh! Her eyes never leave the baby's face. She came to see him, after all. Except to flick to Ka'el at that 'I just-changed' him protest. "Haa, that's funny, Ka'el. Are you sure you don't want that laundry service now?" Or are they already using it? Because… hand-washing those soiled didies is… worse, if possible, than changing baby. Her attention returns to Skyler, back to working on getting him to smile and well, she's also turning him slightly to see his face from a few different angles. What's she doing? "I can see both of you in him," announces the Weyrwoman, "But it's like a hologram." Tricksy baby! That basket is filled with this and that - a smaller kit labeled 'For Daddy' has a clothespin, ear plugs, rubber gloves and a waterproof vest. Those holder women have some sense of humor, eh? There's one labeled, 'For mama' and it's got bath salts, foot soak, body lotion and a soft, silky bathrobe. There are other things in there, practical oddments they'll no doubt use - jars of ointments, a soft-bristled hair brush, fingernail clippers, pacifier, rattle, stuffed plushy toys, little knit hats, booties and hand-sewn linens. There's food in there too - home made canned goods, baked goods, snacks, maybe even a bottle of high proof booze or two. That box, when opened, has something wrapped in tissue-paper. It's a feather-soft long coat of brushed alpaca in a neutral buff shade - the size large enough for Skyler to grow into and should fit when winter arrives. Included in the box is a softly-woven hat, mittens and tiny scarf of creamy alpaca yarn and a tiny pair of finely-made leather boots.
There's a mess in their house? .. Isn't this just how it is? Rather, it's how it has been for the past…oh, month. Things not exactly put away in their proper locations. A few items are scattered here and there. Toys of the baby sort and animal sort peppered around. This is … life now, isn't it? It's a wonder Ka'el's slight OCDness of tidying hasn't kicked in. Likely, he's been thoroughly distracted and too tired to care that his boots aren't by the door and the laundry hasn't been folded. Laundry service…indeed. "Might be something I reconsider," he remarks to Thea with a crooked smirk as that basket is opened and all sorts of goodies are discovered within it. Skyler's making his own discoveries as he watches Thea's face-making. Face making. Funny sounds. This woman is a riot! Though Skyler doesn't know yet how to show that this woman is tickling his funny bone. Not purposefully anyway. His smiles thus far have been mere mimicry. A 'monkey see, monkey do' sort of reaction of the face. But he does react to her, his own face doing funny things that has his mouth twisting and eyes squinting, and he squirms arms and legs while sounds emit from his mouth. Small squeaks. Exhaled sounds. Ka'el has found his Daddy kit, and he laughs at the objects inside. "I could've used all of this weeks ago," he remarks, holding up the rubber gloves. "But they didn't include a breathing mask?" he says in mock-disappointment, snapping his fingers. Drat! "Oh hey, baby look at this." He's discovered the booze! which he now pulls out to show Soriana. "Now it's really a party." A chuckle. "We hardly needed to raid the stores.." he remarks of all of the baby-themed stuff they've also been given. "..Shards. We really need to give them one shell of a thank you.." Skyler's got boots! And fine clothing! Designer baby in the making. Best dressed in all of Xanadu. "I think he has Soriana's nose," he adds belatedly, looking to Thea. "And her mouth. Everything else is all me," he boasts with a playful note of pride in his tone.
Soriana's standards for what constitutes a mess have changed since… well, Skyler. It's probably going to get worse before it gets better, especially when he gets to the point where flinging toys is great amusement but he can't yet be told to go pick them up again. For now, though… it's a good thing he's cute and provides such a good distraction from that mess! As for washing the diapers, well… "Should that include hazard pay?" It's half a joke, but only half. Just like… yep. Clothespin and earplugs. She gives those a wry look as Ka'el exposes them. "No potpourri, either." Though maybe the bath salts are scented? Soriana takes a look at them, smiles, and (just to make sure) glances to Skyler. Checking on him is instinct! But… he's in good hands. Ones that are making funny faces at him. Well, not the hands, but the Thea those hands are attached to. Close enough. More to the point, he's being amused, entertained, and all is well. Soriana's box has… tissue paper! Yay! Oh, wait, there's something else past that. "Oh, that's niiice…" she says of it, carefully taking the coat out and feeling the fabric. "Once it's cold enough to wear, anyway." Not about to try it on Skyler now, because that - while potentially fashionable - just seems like a recipe for overheated fussing. Maybe he'll get to try the hat later, if they go out in the evening and it's cool enough. Maybe. Then again, maybe they'll stay in! Soriana looks to Ka'el again, and laughs. Booze! "Y'know, the healers didn't mention the drinking part. Wonder why not." She grins, leaning over to peek inside and smile as some of the more… practical… items. Which is not to say there is not a definite use for having a glass of something, some of these nights and days (especially when they start to blur together from lack of sleep), but… she hehs to Ka'el. "You know the one thing we didn't get would have been the one we needed urgently." She grins wryly. "Still. Rubicon River, you said?" Because they need to know who to thank! Once they… have time to do it. But then, anyone who's put together this comprehensive a set of baby supplies probably understands having to wait! They'll know that babies are… well. Squirmy and flaily and burbly and smiling. Soriana watches that for a moment, and smiles. She has different standards for jokes than her son, just now. But… "Heh. He's certainly gotten a good pair of lungs from somewhere."
Who can resist a smiling cooing baby? Thea can't, that's for sure! She smiles back at Skyler and lest she tire him out - babies have a short attention span, after all - she lifts him to her shoulder where she can cuddle him, pat his back and let him see something besides her face. That winds up being Shep. Hello baby! The firelizard retreats to Thea's other shoulder, not out of fear, but giving the infant space. He's been broken in by Mur'dah and Marel - and more recently Alishe. One of Thea's hands cradle Skyler's little bottom, the other his head, her fingers stoking silky hair. "Hm, I cannot wait for Ma- more grandbabies." Oops! Her gaze flicks between the new parents warily, but they're busy (hopefully) opening things and her smile returns, this time for the mask question. "You can get one in the infirmary if you'd like," she teases before chuckling and agreeing with Soriana. "It certainly should! Those poor laundresses!" Because how many babies does the Weyr have at any given time? Augh! The felted material of that coat would not only roast the poor child now, he'd swim in it - but he'll grow like a weed by the time winter arrives. Hopefully it will fit until spring. "Rubicon River, yes," Thea confirms. Then with a cough admits, "I made the coat." There's a small handsewn signature in the front corner hem that indeed says, 'handmade by Thea of Xanadu alpaca' and 'handwash in cold water'. Ka'el's boast draws a burbled laugh, "It had better be!" Otherwise she should have made that scarf set pink. The amusement includes Soriana and a peek down at the baby. "At least you've a few months before he develops separation anxiety?" And with that reminder of continual adjustments out there, she asks more seriously, "So… you two are doing alright with all this?"
Ka’el busies himself with unloading their new stuff and putting them into different piles on the floor. His stuff. Soriana’s stuff. Skyler’s stuff. And then, subcategories. Skyler’s stuff: clothing, toys, feeding items, miscellaneous. … Hm. So maybe their home isn’t messy. Maybe it’s just ordered chaos organized in a system recognizable only to Ka’el. He grins to himself as he listens to both of them, though his eyes flit to Thea at a moment. He caught that. That truncated word. An unfinished name. He watches her for a few short beats, his grin momentarily diluted. But that look doesn’t last long at all. A nod is offered, accompanied with a slight smile before he gets back to work organizing their swag. But..wait, what did she say about that coat? “You made it?” he says in astonishment, taking another gander at the babyesque winter wear. “Woah, this must’ve taken you forever.” He has no clue how long it takes to make clothing. He’s lucky if he can make breakfast half the time. He shifts closer to Soriana to touch at the coat, eyeing the tag with an impressed look on his face. “That’s amazing Thea, thank you. You’ll be the first to show when it’s cold enough for him to wear it.” Designs by Thea! Now he really will be a fashionable kid! He begins to move now. He can take advantage of this third person and pick up a few things around their home! Let the semi-tidying begin. “Separation anxiety? That’s a thing?” he says with a sidelong look to the Weyrwoman senior. Her question though, as him looking back to Skyler, held to her shoulder, burbling at the firelizard. “We are…” he says, looking to Soriana as if for confirmation. “But..I think the hard part’ll be when work begins again. Which..is going to start soon..” It’s already been a month. He needs to get back to the office. Back to the Wings. To his duty! Leave was only to last..what, two weeks?
This is the practice baby! …not that Thea hasn't had her own babies to practice on, but this isn't her actual grandbaby. It's Sorrin's! But Thea can borrow him for her grandparenting practice, and meanwhile… Ka'el and Soriana can do other things. Like… adding to the mess of their house by making piles on the floor? It'll work up until Skyler starts crawling, at which point they'll get to figure out new organizational schemes. Yay! Thea's slip of the tongue gets a tilt of the head and a moment's thought, but, well… there's other things to talk about. Like, the infirmary! "…I've had enough of that," she says with a shake of her head and a wry smile. Not that the healers don't still think she needs appointments, but… hah! Who listens to them? Soriana, she listens to Thea, nodding about the laundry and also about the source of these garments. Rubicon and… "Oh." She takes another look down at that coat. "It's lovely." Not that she hadn't already made that part clear, but it deserves reiterating. Skyler will wear it come winter and be toasty-warm! Soriana sets it down and… stays where she is. Ka'el is cleaning? Awesome! She'll… rest her feet. Babies are hard work. "Separation…" Exhale. Yet another thing to deal with, because babies are a never-ending supply of… well, all sorts of things. But… "Yeah." She glances to Ka'el, back to Thea. "We're… figuring it out." Soriana smiles wryly, then nods. "We…" She looks to Ka'el. "…should go by the nursery and talk to them about… that." Not that the nursery is where they work, but the nursery's where Skyler can stay while… his parents work. Soriana's eyes drift back to the baby, watching him.
Thea doesn't try to cover her blunder, nor does she elaborate, but she does say (to Skyler), "It's been far too long since Alishe." Remember that, baby! And then go toddle down the road to her stepson's weyrbarn someday and remind them to get busy! The coat-fuss draws her attention back, "Hm? Oh, yes. Well, I was- am weavercraft." So not forever, in fact, "I had nine months." She smiles, her eyes crinkling merrily. "But you're cetrainly welcome, both of you." And then she's busy shifting her weight from hip to hip in a slightly rocking motion, an automatic response to soothe the wind-up to fretful she senses. "It's a thing," she says blithely. "Happens right about the time they start teething." Ohhh, have fun with that! Thea will only borrow Skyler when Sorrin isn't grandmothering him; she's not stepping on her junior's toes, nope. But there'll be plenty of times, most likely. "I knew you would," she says with another smile, this one approving for both of them. She's crossing the space to where Soriana watches as she says this because fretful is turning to fussy and her shhhhings are being ignored by little Skyler. It's mom-time, apparently, because Ka'el ain't got what Sori does for this part! "Speaking of work," she says to the Weyrleader while focusing so the pass-off goes as smoothly as possible, "I should get a few things wrapped up tonight yet. I'm headed out of Weyr tomorrow morning to Cold Stone Hold. I'll be away most of the day. Sorrin's aware." The older junior often supervises when it's her rest day, so that's nothing unusual.
Separation anxiety. Anxiety felt by child when away from parent. The context clues are blatant enough. But is there any cure for it? Or rather, any way to prevent it from happening? Maybe they should leave Skyler alone for minutes at a time. Get him used to being by himself? …. Naah! Bad idea! Ka'el himself might feel some separation anxiety when the time comes. He kind of likes hanging out with his kid! Falling into the role of 'dad' has been surprisingly … easy for the young Weyrleader. Maybe it's in his genes? He's busy tossing a few scattered pieces of old postage into the trash when the nursery is brought up. Skyler's future daycare! "That probably should happen…soon," he agrees. Work is not going to wait for much longer, and the longer htey do wait, the more they'll have to go back to. Paperwork! Meetings! Weyrfolk woes! The sound of fussy Skyler turns his attention though, eyeing the baby. But Thea has it handled, and Soriana will soon have it handled from her! He smirks a little, brushing his hands off on his trousers as he heads back towards the women, eyes on Thea as she speaks. His brows lift a little as she speaks of her trip to Cold Stone, nodding. "Alright. Kanekith will keep watch for Seryth's return." Because that's what he does. He watches. "Clear skies when you go. And thank you." he says. "Not just for the coat and bringing the gifts, but for everything else too. Speaking with you before Skyler came was .. beyond helpful." Guidance can go a long way! He smiles, lingering so that he can walk her out.
Teething. Right. Soriana makes a face for that. She knows about that! Well, more like she thinks she knows about that. She'll find out for herself soon enough. Time races when you're doing the same after a baby! "So far, so good?" It's a hopeful sort of mantra. Nothing has yet gone so wrong that it can't be fixed, and so… they'll just keep fixing things. Like… Skyler's mood. Oh yeah, he's definitely into the fussy part. Face is getting scrunchy, limbs are getting flaily, and it's just generally that time again. What goes in must come out, and what goes out… must be replaced? Soriana rises from her chair and reaches for her son. She hasn't had as much practice with babies in general - Skyler's the one and only - but she's had a lot of practice with him. She catches on fast! Relatively. Over the course of a month, she's managed it. So, now that she's almost got the baby thing handled, it's time to add the work thing back again! She nods to the part about Thea's trip, and says to Skyler, "Maybe we'll go for a short visit to grandma and a trip by the nursery." Combining business and pleasure… in some order. Or maybe just all mushed together, like banana and sugar for that mash that won't be turning into bread anytime soon. Maybe they'll just eat it as-is to prepare themselves for when Skyler's ready to try solid(ish) food. For now, though… Skyler's ready for Soriana-food! She pauses on the way to nod her agreement. "It's nice to know some of the questions." She grins. "Though I'm sure we'll have more of them!"
There is a cure for separation anxiety! It's called a girlfriend. And it's right around the corner - brace yourselves mom and dad! "When you are ready," she says easily of returning to work, though most likely more for Soriana's benefit than for Ka'el's. Sure, he's got a weyrsecond to handle things, and it's likely he's checking in, but there are two other - now three junior weyrwomen to share the load of paperwork, management and hold visitation that Soriana deals with. Lengthy maternity leave - weyrwomen's perks! Skyler handed over, Thea steps back to admire the scene for a moment, then says mysteriously, "You two should have a visitor sometime tomorrow midmorning. Look your best. Bye bye Sky Blue." She squinches a four-fingered wave at him - the kind he'll be giving in several months and steps on out with Ka'el. "I'm so glad…" she's saying sincerely of that talk of babies and juggling parenthood with work as they step to the door. And if he asks further about that visitor, she'll just give him Madonna smiles as answers.