Xanadu Weyr - Weyrleader's Office
Office and retreat, this is the domain of Xanadu's Weyrleaders. The door is in the eastern wall, quite close to the southern end while the northern wall is dominated by big, expansive windows, framed by sumptuous deep blue drapes edged with a brilliant gold braid and tied back with a thick rope of braided gold and blue cord. In between, the eastern wall is covered floor to ceiling with shelves that house all sorts of records, manuals and supplies that are used on a day-to-day basis. The southern wall has the Weyrleader's desk — plain fellis wood, well polished and masculine. From behind his desk, the Weyrleader can look straight through the windows and out onto the main airspace of Xanadu. The western wall is where the Weyrwoman's desk resides: a lovely piece of furniture made of warm cherry wood. From her seat, a glance sideways gives her an equally good prospect out the window. There are a few other seats, some comfortably arranged around a low round table for small, informal meetings while there also some that can be drawn up to one of the desks.
On the south side of the door, the space is occupied by a low oblong table where refreshments can be set without someone needing to intrude. There is also an 'incoming' tray where incoming correspondence or similar items can be left.
Vivian comes into the office, an equally tight tank top and pair of shorts are the flirtation devices of the day. She walks in and leans over to drop her files onto her own desk, giving him a lovely view from behind in the process. "I spoke to Mom and tracked down R'sul to ask about those files on Kate." She starts as she turns to lean against the edge of her desk. "So far as they're both aware, Ysa had them."
It's on the late side, darkness is encroaching and D'son is sitting at the desk, not really working, just kind of staring into space. His gaze re-settles on Vivian and he blows out a long breath. "Thanks Viv. We're … going to see if we can find anything tomorrow morning. X'hil and I. Because if there's any hatchlings that made it, Kinseth might be able to reach out to them. And … Ysa. Guess that means more beers with Mike. Er. K'ael. Ista's Weyrleader. You know."
Vivian nods her head a little, she's spending more time leaning back on the desk, keeping her assets on best display for him, her long legs moving to cross at the ankles as she leans back, head canting to the side a bit. "Don't the newly impressed broadcast all over the place anyway?" She asks him. "I've heard a few people going on about it." At the mention of the Istan leadership she just nods her head. "Fair enough."
"Yeah, that's what I was kind of thinking. It'd be an easy way to find them. Weyrling dragons," D'son says with a little lopsided grin. His gaze lingers where you might expect then lifts away. "Yeah. Figure that's the only way to find out about those things. Because that's a whole piece of the picture that's missing."
Vivian smiles when she notices his gaze and where it's lingering. "It will be helpful for you, see if there is anything you can pick up that others have missed. You're smart enough I hope?" She replies with a sultry wink, "But trying to find the weyrlings is more likely to find the right path to them I reckon, they're limited by how far they can broadcast aren't they?"
"Fresh eyes at any rate," D'son says with a little shrug, not really willing to boast. "And yeah, they are. Plus, it's possible leverage you know? If we find them and they want them back."
"Oh I'm sure they'll want to keep them, the problem they're going to have is trying to raise them properly." Replies Vivian. "It's not like they have any weyrlingstaff and they'll only really know about things that came up during Kate's own weyrlinghood won't they? So anything else that crops up they'll be a bit screwed on knowing what to do."
"Mm. Probably lose them Between," D'son says with a little sigh and looks down at the desk, shuffles some papers around. "So it's worth a shot. Now … and well the next time she rises too."
Vivian rolls her shoulder back in an exaggerated movement designed only to move other bits of her. "That wouldn't be good, but unfortunately it would also give us a good way of trying to catch onto the young dragons thoughts." She adds. "How is everything else going though, have you managed to coax Hisolda out to see you yet?"
Studiously, D'son picks up his pen and starts to write something. Maybe he's avoiding all that chest waggling going on. "Mmm," he says with a nod. "Yeah. It's a possible you know, vulnerable time." Deep breath. "Put the letter together. No word yet."
Vivian isn't thrusting it in his face, yet. "So anything else interesting going on from your other meetings?" She asks him, "Though it's almost time for us to head off for the hold tour." She reminds him, "It's all scheduled in for later in the month. Just the two of us." Her eyes fixed on him.
"Wingleaders seem pretty okay, ummm, things seem pretty smooth with your mother. Of course that just means, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Oh yeah and I wrote an authorization letter for the gardener girl to stay on. Cenlia." Breath out and he looks up, nods. "Okay, I'm ready as I can be I guess."
Vivian nods her head and walks slowly over to his desk. "Don't worry about it." She tells him as she sits her bum on the desk next to him, legs stretching out beside him. "I don't know how many times I've told you , that you will charm the pants off them."
"I just mean you know, I've read up on the places we're going, the situations and stuff," D'son says and looks up at Vivian with a little half grin. "Viv … is it really that you want me that badly … or is it something else?"
Vivian smiles down at him, "You're the first one who has paid me any attention round here." She says with another delicate shrug of her shoulders. "Everyone else treats me like my mothers daughter, and it helps that you are a handsome stud of a man." She explains to him evenly. "Her eyes locked on his."
"A … hot … stud … of — " D'son looks down at himself, cheeks suddenly pink and he blinks at Vivian a few times. "You're serious? Or is that a joke?" The Weyrleader's brows lift along with the question. Clearly, he's not buying 'hot stud' anything.
Vivian looks him in the eyes and nods her head, she's certainly serious about something and it appears to be genuine emotion mirrored in her eyes. "No jokes." She tells him quietly, barely audible.
D'son looks back up at her, perplexed. "But … I'm not …" he blurts out, brow furrowing in confusion. And admittedly, while he's pleasant enough and not outright ugly, D'son is no hot tamale. "And um … why wouldn't I treat like that? You're not your mother."
A ghost of a smile flickers across her lips as she continues to look at him. "Everyone else sees me that way though?" She replies and that makes a difference." She tries to explain. "It's just the way things are here, I've lived here all my life in the shadow of my mother. You however." She pauses to reach a hand out for his. "Don't have that prejudice, which in my mind makes you worth the effort."
"Worth the effort …" D'son echoes and leans back in his chair, though he does take her hand, gives it a little squeeze. "Worth the effort for what, though Viv? A tumble on my desk? A madcap affair? And then what? When my weyrmate's heart is broken … then what?" his voice is quiet, hazel eyes lifting to hers. "How about being really good friends? Would that work? Because … yeah, you're just you. All I see is a really great girl. Pretty. Talented. I like you. But I'm not … leaving my weyrmate."
Vivian nods her head slowly. "I'm not asking you to leave your weyrmate." She tells him simply. "I know what I want and I want you." She continues. "And I usually get what I want." She smiles down at him. "Are you really sure you want to turn all of this down?" Her hands running slowly up her body.
Hard swallow. "No. I don't /want/ to. But I won't cheat either and if I cheat, she'll leave me," D'son says simply. "And I won't lie about it either."
Vivian lets out a long suffering sigh as she looks at him, "I think you need to sort out some priorities then." She explains with a smile. "I'm here and on offer, you want me and your weyrmate isn't here, I'm not going to tell her and you don't have to either, you don't need to lie, just not tell her." She's smiling prettily at him again.
"I think I've got my priorities pretty well figured out," D'son says quietly eyes not leaving Vivian's face. "I can't keep it secret either," he continues with a little shake of his head.
Vivian sighs. "You'll need to do better than that." She tells him with a sad smile appearing. "Otherwise you may never get a taste of things." She pushes away from the desk, which brings her very quickly towards him but she just stands there, her chest mere inches away from his face as she looks down at him. "You really will be missing out darling."
"Oh, I know I will," D'son answers, but he still doesn't make a move. "You're great, really great, Viv. But sometimes, there's things that're more important than j ust satisfying want."
Vivian turns away from him. "Oh well, I guess you'll just need to be careful around me, jilted women and all that." There is a faintly bitter note to her voice as she turns away from him. "Wouldn't want to be throwing myself at someone who doesn't appreciate all the hard work I put in to get them."
His chair pushes back and D'son rises, reaches out towards her shoulder. "Viv … it's not lack of appreciation. There's right and wrong in the world though and I already walk a pretty fine line with Ais because I'm here and not there anymore." He takes a breath, lets it out. "If Inimeth chases a green though, after the eggs hatch … and he loses. There's … understanding about flights," he says quietly.
Vivian sniffs delicately, though she keeps her face turned away from him even as she stops mid stride when his head touches her shoulder. "So it's okay after a flight, when you could just jump in the ocean instead, don't you think that's a touch hypocritical?"
"It's what we agreed on," D'son says and his fingers squeeze Vivian's shoulder a little then drop away. "Can't we just be friends, Viv? You really do a great job around here and you've been just … I'd be lost without you taking care of me here, you know."
Vivian turns on her heel bringing her right up close to him, her face coming to within touching distance of his. "I haven't even started taking care of you yet." She growls at him, a bit of her mothers temper finally showing through. "Because we can't just be friends. Not just now."
D'son lifts a hand towards her cheek, expression pained and he clears his throat. "I … could ask permission."
Vivian turns her cheek away from his hand. "I thought she wasn't talking to you?" She murmurs quietly, eyes closed as she looks away from him. "Unless you want to send her a letter to tell her about me?"
"What?" D'son blinks in surprise. "Of course she's talking to me. I go see her almost every night. We just haven't talked about this whole thing that much," he says, shaking his head.
Vivian keeps her eyes closed, her face still turned away. "You said there were problems because you were here and she was there?" She replies softly, her voice still mostly a whisper.
"It's just you know, tough to sort out," D'son says with a quiet sigh. "And … I'm worried because it sounds like she's not telling me everything that's on her mind. And I nee to reassure her, that I'm not going to leave her."
Vivian shakes her head a touch. "I'm not asking you to leave her, I can even write a letter to her if that's what's needed?" Finally, she opens her eyes to find his, see if she can discern what he's thinking.
"No, Viv, it's nothing to do you with you … she's worried that I'll be Weyrleader here … forever, I think. That I'm not going back and that I really will /leave/ her, regardless of anyone else," D'son says and his eyes are sad.
Vivian returns the look evenly, "Now that Inimeth has caught the first time, there's a good possibility you're going to be here for a good few years, you know that right?" She checks, "It'll be good for you to get something settled here."
"Yes, I know that. At least two turns, if not more, depending on when Kilaueth rises," D'son puffs his cheeks out. "But that's my point. Aisling thinks that just because I'm Weyrleader here and settling here, that I'll abandon her and I won't."
"All you need to do then is agree a visiting schedule with her and stick to it, I can make sure and keep your diary free enough to manage that." Vivian replies with a faint smile. "So long as you're not going all the time, I meant what I aid before about grounding you if you're getting too tired."
"Yeah, doing that," D'son says and takes a deep breath and then he smiles. "Thanks Viv," he murmurs softly and he bites on his lip then leans forward, aiming to curve his hand to her cheek and kiss her lightly.
Vivian smiles and nods her head, her usual confidence returning. "Make sure you do." His attempt at a kiss is denied though, she turns away from her breasts brushing against his chest and her hand brushing against him lower down by way of a reminder as she takes the few steps away to her desk. "You're not allowed to do that yet remember?" She calls back over her shoulder, a teasing glance going with it.
D'son goes all eye-crossy at that grab of hers. "A kiss on the /cheek/ is allowed," he protests and flops back down in his chair, tilts his head back and sighs softly, lifts both hands to scrub at his face as she goes.
Vivian is only going as far as her own desk to pick something up, bending over again to give him that most pleasant of views. "But with a simple kiss, you never know if you'll lose control and have me bent over that desk, wouldn't that break your rules?" She asks him as she straightens up again, a hairbrush in her hand that she retrieved from the desk, turning back to look at him she props her bum on the edge of her desk. "What am I going to do with you?" She sighs, her arms crossing over her chest, the brush handle tapping lightly against her lips.
"I won't," D'son says with a shake of his head. "I'm … not that kind of guy," he says quietly and looks down at the papers on the desk, then slowly, neatly stacks everything up and files it away, checks one last thing and gets to his feet. "I'll see you tomorrow Viv. I'm going to head over to Ista to talk to Aisling."
Vivian watches him all the way out the door. "I'll see you in the morning." She tells him, "Mind and get plenty of sleep as well." She waits the few moments for him to go before pushing away from the desk, the hairbrush gets dropped again it was after all just an excuse for bending over. "Time for a run and a nice bath I think." She murmurs to herself with a pleased expression.
There's just a little wave from D'son over his shoulder and then he's out the door and practically running away. It's likely that under his breath there is muttering: "Shells. What the hell have I gotten myself into here?"