The Zephyr
This sleek sailing craft has been made by a craftsman who took loving pride in his creations. Though small and narrow in width, it does have a small inside cabin and an area outside to seat a couple of people. The wood has been left unpainted, its natural color under the finish is a rich reddish gold, the grains adding depth to its luster. The mast is of newer wood, having been replaced at some point in the resent past. Unseen under the waterline there is a long, though now-mended crack running the length of the keel.
Seryth has once again risen to mate - her first flight in nearly two turns, oddly late but there is no Thread so maybe this is normal for dragonkind. Glowing for only a few hours before taking to the feeding grounds and thankfully while Thea was at work in the office, rather than with D'had's family, they've been spared her proddy giddiness. The flight effects might be something they had to deal with, however. Whatever the results, it is now late evening and Seryth has been back for several hours, the bronze that won has left Xanadu with his rider some time ago, farewelled by the watchrider on the starstones. Thea, however has not returned to the weyrbarn where, likely there are several of D'had's family sleeping, but after the bathing caverns it is aboard the Zephyr, moored beside the Vega Run that she seeks solitude and is curled into the berth lying there awake.
D'had wasn't at Xanadu when Seryth rose, but he wasn't gone long once Siebith got word of it, of course with other… things going on long is very much a relative term. Having given their weyrbarn a quick check and not finding her there, a bit more checking (including her old weyr) finds D'had at the docks. The Zephyr rocks gently in the water as he boards and finds his way to her hiding place. "Babe? You okay?" quiet questions.
"Maybe?" is the quiet answer from that darkened cabin and there's the sound of material shifting as Thea sits up and scoots back in the berth to lean against the wall. Wary silence from her awaiting his mood, assuming by now he knows what Seryth has been up to.
D'had knows. Its not as it it's easy to keep word of a gold flight from the ears of the weyr residents. "Sorry I wasn't here. Wasn't here earlier," he replies as he steps further into the space to meet her. "Can send them back up here ta the ship if you wanna go home.." he offers to kick those of his family staying there out so she can have the space to herself - themselves.
"No, please, don't wake them, but why… why are you apologizing for not being here?" There's confusion in Thea's voice. He doesn't sound drunk… She sniffs the air, but with him way over… wherever he is, it's hard to tell. And maybe he doesn't know where she is, either. "I'm over here, on the berth. I thought it best, ah, not to go home before…" her words falter and she just waits.
D'had finds her by her voice and her directions. "Hey now. I ain't mad at you." Perturbed that he wasn't around perhaps. Annoyed and angry with the winner, but not at her. Or rather, trying not to be upset with her. They dealt with this the last time and he's trying. Really he's trying. A hand reaches out to find hers. "You okay?"
Thea's hand isn't reaching in the dark until she hears those words so by the time she lifts it, his has found her shoulder. "You're not mad?" There's relief as well as a hint tears in her repetition; flights are never easy for her. As for his question, "I will be." So, no, not really. "I… ran out on him as soon as… as soon as…."
"Ain't mad," D'had agrees in repletion of those words. "Ain't exactly happy bout it," he admits, "But I ain't mad. Least all at you." He gives her shoulder a reassuring squeeze as his other hand raises to reach around and pull her into a hug. He chuckles just a bit at that stuttering admittance. "Sure ain't no one mind 'bout that."
Thea's hand patpats in the dark. Ah, she's found his shoulder! And as she is drawn into his hug her arm slides around the back of his neck, her head finds that favorite spot in the hollow of his shoulder and she just curls into him, heedless that her still-wet hair is likely getting his shirt all damp. On a long, long breath out, "I'm glad you aren't mad. He-" the bronze's rider, "-wasn't too happy." But then, after a moment she asks again, since he never answered, "Why were you apologizing for not being here?"
D'had lets her fold into him, pulling her to him in the process. "He'll get over it," he replies with a bit of a smirk. Oh no, he's by no means upset that that bronzerider wasn't happy. "Its you I'm worried about," he adds, leaning to press a kiss to her temple. As for his apology, "Suppose I shouldn't be doin' that either. Huh?"
"I just want to know why!" Because he's never apologized for not being here before. Oh, but then Thea remembers and assures, "Taozyuth didn't chase, he wasn't visiting Xanadu when Seryth rose." Thank Faranth! She snuggles into him in response to that kiss, needing his closeness after all the past hours and the worry. "You're taking this much better than I thought you would, Donn." Then, curiosity gets her, "Where were you then? You've been working so hard on the Vega Run, I thought you were here."
"I know," D'had replies. The why still not answered as she leaves that for other things. As for where he was, "Was up at Fort." Which would be why he knew perhaps that N'shen and Taozyuth weren't chasing in that. "Just was caught up with things and couldn't get back here until late."
He ought to know this drives her absolutely nuts when he does this. Plaintive now, "Then why-? You…aren't going to tell me, are you. "Thump! That's the sound of Thea's head hitting D'had's shoulder, after which she winces and mutters, "Oooh, shouldn't have done that. Dizzy. Need to lie down." Not that she hit her head all that hard, mind. Her arms clutch just a little tighter which might tell him that the boat, for her is spinning.
Oh, he knows, but that doesn't mean he wants to say an upset her or anything either. Eyes narrow at that drop of her head and the comment that follows. "Are you sure you're okay?" Yes, he's worried now, that much should be plenty clear. "Thea? Come on, you should see a healer."
Thea's just letting him go and easing herself back down on the berth. Is she okay? "No." Sullen now, "If you're being evasive, there's a reason. Something's wrong isn't it? And you can forget about the healers. So there!" This really isn't like Thea but maybe she can be forgiven in light of the past several hours roller-coaster of emotion she's been through.
D'had shakes his head. "No, nothing's wrong, but you've been acting strange for weeks now.." And he's only getting more worried. "You're sure you're okay?" And suddenly a lightbulb comes on in his head. It might be a broken one, but its a thought. "You're not pregnant." Beat. "Are you?"
Stubborn, stubborn Thea. "Why is it you want answers to your questions, but you won't answer mine?" Yes, the words are gritted out as she curls on her side on that berth and reaches to press her hands to the sides of her head. "You're confusing the hell out of me, Donn." She's cussing. She never cusses. This… is not his gentle Thea, is it? And she doesn't answer his question either.
"Alright," D'had starts, leaning to slip an arm beneath Thea and lift her up if she doesn't fight the idea too hard. "Told ya ya need ta see a healer." Which is exactly what he intends to do. Take her there.
"Donn! I have a headache, alright?" There's a hard edge to Thea's voice even though it's not been raised. The flat of her hands are braced against his shoulders for a long moment that fight looks like it's coming. Then she just wilts, sighs and pleads, "Just curl up with me here for the night? I"m so tired." She's in no mood for this fight really. "Just tell me what I want to know and I'll answer your questions? Isn't that a fair deal?" If he knows her, not worrying her is the lesser of two evils. Really man. "Why. Were. You. Apologizing. For. Not. Being. Here?" Each word enunciated in her utter frustration.
D'had shakes his head. "Not tonight," which only goes to say that on another night he might have? "You've been out of sorts for awhile now." He's ready to have that checked out now. "Cause I told ya I would next time and I wasn't. Okay. I got caught up and I'm sorry I wasn't here."
"But but, it's the middle of the-" Thea just breaks off with a sigh, turns to peer up at him in the dark at his answer, brows knit. "Is that it? Why didn't you just- nevermind." The last word ends on soft laughter as she reaches arms to twine about his neck, "I love you, you impossibly stubborn man." She tries tugging him down to join her, "You can take me first thing in the morning?" And her afterthought of a reply, "I'm not pregnant. Your ma was asking me the same thing. She's so disappointed."
"She would be," D'had chuckles at the comment on his mother. Of course he doesn't say if he feels one way or another on that. "Fine," he agrees with a reluctant sigh, letting her slid back to her former seat as he settles beside her. "First thing in the morning."
Thea slides down in the berth, curling up on her side patpatting the mattress. "Stay with me? You ma has the twins." Which reminds her and and she blanches just a bit, "How did they… manage with the goldflight going on? You checked on them, right? They're not, ah, used to the…" she searches for the right words, "repercussions of the…" Yeah, he knows what she means. And tomorrow… well. In the darkness there's a satisfied smile on her lips. Tomorrow he'll have forgotten alllllllll about the healers. She's counting on it.
D'had settles in beside her, wrapping an arm over her waist. "They'll be fine," he replies softly. "Right now I'm worried about you." But she already knows that, and as for the healers - well that remains to be seen depending on how she's acting then.
He may be worried about her, but as he well knows, Thea worries about -everyone-. And thus with that non-answer of his, she rolls over in the bunk to face him and snaps, "Don't placate me, Donn! You've nephews and nieces too young to-" She's crawling over him now to get out of the bunk muttering something about going to check on them herself along with a growled, "I need to apologize for not thinking to warn them, just had so much on my mind lately…" Definitely combative.
D'had shakes his head. "I know plenty about my family, and I never said I didn't check on them. They're fine Thea," he tries to give her the answers she's looking for. He's not lying though, no they're truthful answers, but he is trying to keep her where she is. "Just settle. Alright."
"You never said you did, either!" Thea's wrestling with him to get by, "You're acting all strange with me tonight, Donn. It's like having to pry answers from you- worse than I usually have to! What's up with that?" Irate, refusing to settle, she comes up with yet another out-of-nowhere comment, "And if you got caught up in a flight up at Fort, you don't have to pretend you didn't, either! You know I understand that sort of thing."
"I'm sorry," D'had apologizes, "I just thought if you hadn't heard you wouldn't want to after having been through it yourself today." In otherwords, yes, that's exactly what happened. A flight at Fort. "I'm here now though, and you're here, so lets just let it go and get some rest. Hmm?"
Still trying to climb her way over him and go check on his poor sleeping (and hopefully not traumatized) family, Thea grits, "What I want is a non-avoidant, honest-" But she gets no further than that the words coming more indistinct by the end of that unfinished sentence and she's suddenly limp, landing on his chest or wherever she happens to be in the process of fighting to get over him and out.
"Thea?" Its a question first. A second or two of pause as he waits for an answer before the panic sets it. Once it does though, he's on his feet in a split second, scooping her up to cart her off as quickly as he can to the healers.
And when they get there, there are questions from the healers, discussion about the island brawl, the punch she took to the head and then more questions when they find in the records the notes about her fall down the ravine a few turns ago. The unconscious Junior is checked over, settled in a cot for the night and likely for a few days if she can be kept there. It might take D'had pulling some strings by going over her head, but if that's what it takes… He -knows- how much she hates being there since he had to go fetch her from a cave-healer once upon a time.