Xanadu Weyr - Hatching Sands
The large circular "stage" is surrounded on one half by a towering wall, thin slit windows high overhead letting in some light without truly endangering the objects on the sands, though plenty of lights are spaced at human-level all the way around. The other half is ringed by the dark blue seats of the observation level, rising upwards towards the back wall. The circle itself is filled with a mix of red and white sands, deep enough to cover the largest of dragon eggs with ease. To one side, a small door is visible, hidden away behind a platform meant to provide a place for the clutch parent's lifemates to stand during the on goings.
Evening at Xanadu, and Niva has retreated to the Sands for a few more hours at the demands of Kilaueth, the large gold still not entirely certain on how she feels about her own daughter sharing the Sands. However, without any incidents so far, Niva's mainly there for… moral support as it were. And so, settled on the little platform, Niva's got a skin of wine, sipping it slowly, off in her own little world.
Vivian makes quite the sight as she stalks into the cavern and across the sands, she's well enough known to Kilaueth that she doesn't bother with her, but keeps well away from Avaeth. She's looking more than a bit bedraggled in a pair of shorts, a mans shirt that's only half buttoned up and her usually prim hair is all over the place and tears still flow down her face as she storms across the sands towards her mother.
Kilaueth lifts her head to look at the arrival on the Sands, crooning softly at her lifemate's daughter, before her head is dropping back to the Sands, and she's curling her body protectively over a few of her eggs. Niva looks up at the croon, spotting Vivian coming, though she does blink at Vivian's attire. Hurrying to her feet, Niva shakes her head, holding out her arms to Vivian. "What…" She starts to ask, confused.
Admittadly Vivian has been dressing in short, tight or revealing clothes for a couple of years now, but this is stretching it a bit far. She runs the last bit, slipping a bit in the sands but up onto the platform she goes and straight into her mothers arms, hugging tight and crying into her shoulder.
Niva is caught a bit offguard by her reaction, but nevertheless she hugs her eldest, patting her back gently. "What.. What happened, Vivian?" She asks softly, glancing sidelong at Kilaueth, and then back to trying to peek at Vivian. "Who's.. Who's shirt do you have?"
Eventually , amongst all those heaving sobs, comes a name. "D'son." She hugs tighter and buries her head further into Niva's shoulder at the mention of the name. It's only with a great big breath does she try and compose herself, but stays clinging, taking what comfort she can, it is her mother after all.
Niva sighs softly, shaking her head, rubbing her back and trying to comfort her eldest the best she can, even if is a little awkward. "What, what happened with D'son? And.. why.. Is that his shirt?" Niva asks with a bit of concern, gently trying to pull Vivian away from enough to see her face. "Viv.." She murmurs softly.
It's completely alien territory for both mother and daughter, sharing a moment like this! Vivian pulls back and sits down on the platform with a sigh. "It's his shirt, I grabbed when I left his cottage." She explains, her arm swiping back across her eyes in an attempt to clear away some of the tears.
Niva slowly pats Vivian's shoulder as she sits down, turning to begin to pace back and forth. A pause, and she looks back at her daughter with a tilt of her head. "Where.. Where's your shirt? And.. Why.. Why were you there?" Niva asks softly, concerned for her daughter, but confused never the less.
Vivian continues to wipe at her eyes. "Inimeth asked if I would stand and he rejected me out of hand." Definite pout there as she admits, part of what happened, "This shirt was the first thing I could grab as I ran out of there, I picked up my shorts from my room before I came searching for you." In other words she's saying she ran half way across the weyr with nothing but the shirt on.
"But… Inimeth asking you to stand is a good thing.." Niva murmurs softly, moving to settle down next to Vivian, one hand resting lightly on her back for a moment. And then, she's blinking a few times. "But, who rejected you? D'son?" She asks slowly, looking surprised.
"Apparently I'm not good enough for him." Replies Vivian caustically. "D'son that is has higher moral fibre it would seem, despite everything else we went through already." She drops her head into her hands the tears coming again. "I was naked, at his mercy and he rejected me!" There's no telling quite exactly why she's crying mind you.
"Vivian.. Maybe he's just not good enough for you." Niva says, becoming protective of her daughter, despite the fact that more and more of the situation is coming out, shaking her head. "You can do better than him, Vivian, don't get upset.." She says softly, glancing over the sands at Kilaueth, and then back at Vivian. "Or, maybe he'll come to his senses. They usually do."
Vivian lets loose a loud harrumph at the suggestion, a few more sobs going into her hands. "When I set my mind on something, I'm used to getting it." *Sob* "You know that, so should he!" She's degenerated to simple complaints now, it's probably been a while since Niva has dealt with this level of a strop from her eldest.
"Vivian.." Niva says with a sigh, shaking her head, and loosely wrapping her arm over her shoulder. "I.. I know, Vivian." And perhaps that's not something Niva's so proud about. "You'll find someone, and they'll deserve it." She tries to reassure her. "But.. But why were you naked, Vivian?"
Vivian looks up at her mother, her face streaked with tears, the expression pained. "Mom, why do you think I was naked in a mans bed?" She asks her, though really it's not a question, it should really be answer enough for her imagination.
"Viv.. Did you go there, or.. Or did he ask you.." Niva asks softly, looking down at Vivian with a tilt of her head. "I.. I just need to know, because.. If.. If he asked you.." Niva shakes her head a bit. "I don't like it when people hurt my girls." The weyrwoman frowns as she sees her daughter's face.
Vivian continues to look up at her, the tears lessening off, finally all cried out. "I was waiting on him coming home, it was meant to be a surprise then Inimeth stuck his head in the window just before anything interesting could get started." Too much detail for a mothers ears?
"Viv.." Niva says softly, shaking her head with a sigh. "Maybe surprises aren't good though." She suggests softly, tilting her head, and patting Vivian's shoulder again. "Maybe you should take a long soak, and have a drink.. Get some rest." Niva glances at Kilaueth, and then back at her daughter. "Don't.. Don't let him bother you, you're a candidate now."
*Sniff* and a hand wipes at her eyes again. "I don't intend to let him bother me now. He'll either come back to his senses, in which case he can go jump in the river because he's not getting any from me again." Vivian tells her mother, conviction ringing clear in her tone, the real Viv starting to come back out.
"Good. That's my girl.." Niva says with a smile offering a hankerchief to the candidate, and her daughter, patting her shoulder softly. "Go try and get some rest, Viv. I should go help your father finish getting Cavin ready for bed, and you need to get some clothes of your own."
Vivian gets to her feet in a smooth elegant movement, she's certainly all grown up now, though she still throws her arms around her mothers neck. "Bath and a bottle of wine, then back to my own bed I guess." She murmurs in agreement. "Thanks for listening." She even adds a kiss to the cheek before she takes a step back, glancing down at the shirt with a frown, the buttons that are done up are out of alignment.
"You're my daughter… Of course I'll listen." Niva says softly, following Vivian's gaze to the buttons, shaking her head. "Bath, wine, and bed.." Niva says firmly, moving to steer her daughter off the sands, a final nod to Kilaueth, the gold settled for the night. "G'night, Vivi.."
Vivian pauses long enough to glance round to make sure there's no one lurking up in the galleries before she undoes the buttons and then redoes them in the right order. "I'm glad someone listens." She murmurs, having dropped more than enough hints to a certain someone whose shirt she's wearing. "Night mom." She replies as she jumps off the platform onto the hot sands, still in her barefeet she makes good time past the eggs, a wave going Kilaueth's way as she heads off to do things in that order.
Niva lingers back a few steps, making sure that Vivian's all the way off the Sands before she follows, heading her own way, to her youngest and her weyrmate, and hopefully a bit of rest.