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.
Nearly dawn and Thea is still awake, staring at the ceiling and thinking hard. Restless, and trying not to be so she doesn't awaken D'had there beside her, she has managed for most of the night to be still. Finally though, she flexes her toes because she - Just. Has. To. Move! But it's not enough. With a long, quiet sigh she rolls slowly on her side, lifts her head carefully, propping it up on one hand to study the man with a tender smile tugging at her lips.
D'had manages to sleep through many things. And yet her moving is not one of them. He has remained asleep though the night despite her restlessness, but its only moments after she moves that he's cracking an eye at her. "Go back to sleep," he comments still half there himself.
Thea's contrite. There's a whispered, "I didn't mean to wake you, Donn." She leans to brush his cheek with a gentle kiss, flops her forearm back to her pillow and settles her head on her arm obediently, but her eyes are still open. Still upon him with that thoughtful gaze in the grey dawnlight barely seeping into the bedroom window above them.
D'had chuckles, somehow amused in that foggy haze he's still in. The next moment he's rolling over to face her. "Come 'ere," he starts, reaching one arm over to make her do just that. "Ya worry too much 'bout wakin' me up ya know."
Thea is easily gathered to him, using his chest for her pillow and tucking her head under his chin while her arms find a comfortable position - one loosely across his waist, the other still up and over her pillow creeps over to play idly with his messed hair. "I worry too much about everything." is her wry admission, "But you don't sleep well enough as it is." She falls silent, listening to the steady beats of his heart under her ear. Into the silence she says, "Seryth was trying to share how much effort it took her to help to inhibit Sie's flying." There's the quality in her tone that somehow she isn't sure she got it.
D'had sighs contentedly as she settles against him. "One of us has to," he comments in reply to her remark about worrying. "And I sleep fine." Perhaps not as well as some, but as far as he's concerned fine. "Hard ta change twenty-some years of flyin' one way."
Thea's sigh echoes his, though hers is more of a release of something. Perhaps a decision made. She's been far too tense lately. "Hmm," is all she says to his claim of sleeping fine. Instead she nods slightly about the flying, her hair catching in the stubble of his chin as she moves. Concern laces her tone, "It's quite a drain on you, is it?"
"It can be, yeah," D'had replies with a nonchalance that seems to imply its not something that's worrying him right at the moment. That's not right now and he's still not fully awake. "Like ya said, ya worry too much."
Thea's fingers move languidly through his hair while she mulls over his answer. It may not be keeping him awake, but it's kept her up all night. At least she's relaxed in his arms, the stiff anger from the evening before dissipated. "I had no idea." She draws a long breath and says humbly, "You shouldn't have to take Muir up. I'm sorry I was angry; I didn't understand."
"Dunno that ya were the only one wrong…" D'had replies, almost but not quite admitting his part in it in those few words. His admission is a bit longer in coming, "Told ya I didn't wanna." So there. "But maybe," maybe, "Ya were right too, that they should go up sooner rather than later."
"Shhsshh." Thea's arm moves from his waist to place light fingers on his lips. He did tell her and she'll readily admit to it with a grave, "You did." Beat. Factitiously, "I thought maybe it was some horrible thing in your past. Lost a passenger during one of Sie's barrel rolls Between and the guilt was crippling you." Clearly she's being ridiculous and her soft snicker at the end there says don't take her seriously. "Really?" She didn't expect his agreement on the twins flying. "They're sort of fearless at this age - too young to know better. But Between… I don't know."
D'had chuckles, finding some sort of odd amusement in that thought of hers as to why he didn't want to take them flying. "Nah, nothin' like that," he replies, "But between…" That he's none too sure of either. "It'll all work out though."
Thea's fingertips tickle his lips before she withdraws them so he can talk. Reminders of a past night, perhaps? "Maybe we can get N'shen to take Muir up so you won't have to, Donn." As for the swimming lessons at the island, "If we have to, I guess the bathing caverns will suffice." And the Weyrfolk bathing will be so amused to see her quietly panicking while trying hard to appear calm. Ah well. "It will," she agrees, with a serene tone for him while her expression contorts into a series of faces as she imagines the chaos in the pools, which thankfully he can't see with her head there on his chest like that.
"You could too," D'had suggests. "Know ya said he don't have so much interest in her," meaning Seryth, "But might if ya did.." It's a thought anyway. "And the caverns'll work," he agrees, "'Sides, they're only little, no one's gonna notice 'er care." Well maybe they'll notice, but care? Probably not. "Can move on to the lake after."
Thea is doubtful about Seryth, "I don't know why he's so taken with Siebith. He's got to chatter to him whenever he gets the chance. I can try it; he'll just have to learn to deal." Under his arm, the shoulder she's not lying on shrugs slightly. "And he'll understand about Siebith when he's older. You-" she pokes him gently in the side, "-had better do some other things with him to compensate though." The caverns she can steel herself for but mention of the lake draws another shudder. "Uh." Wince. "You mean like in another ten turns, right?" Mountain girl here. She didn't learn to swim until he taught her.
D'had chuckles, "Dunno," he replies about why the boy is so enamored with the blue. "He'll be fine, and yeah, you're right." Hopefully she is anyway and he'll understand when he's older. Another chuckle is drawn from him for that question of 'ten turns'. "Maybe one or two," he teases back before stealing a kiss. "And teachin' him ta swim is doing somethin' else." So there.
Couldn't possibly be because the lad has seen one of the blue's famous dive-bomb landings, could it? Poor Siebith. He's got a friend whether he wants one or not. When they're four or five turns old? Somehow this is hardly reassuring to Thea. "But the lake is murk- Mmpfh." That kiss interrupts the very protest that started all this. When he pulls back, she manages, "That'll give us time to plan a cruise to the island then and I can see if they're drowning." Because she's still sure they're going to. The poke in the side she gives him is sharper this time. Is he ticklish? "I meant like, dig worms with him, hammer things and fish." Hah.
"Not like we'd go out far or deep," D'had replies in an attempt to reassure her that nothing will happen to her babies during swimming lessons. That poke does little to him. Ticklish? Maybe. It's hard to say sometimes. "Dig worms…" Okay then. "We'll see about fishin' though," he agrees.
This is Thea trying not to panic: her breathing rate picks up and he can feel her tensing. "There are waves." This comes out in a strangled sort of way and he might recall that rogue wave that nearly swept them away. So they're far inland. She's not going to be rational about it presently. Firmly, "After they learn to swim in the island pool and I can see for myself they can, then the lake will work." How they're getting there will be up to him, since they won't be flying. As for worms, she merely nods. "He likes to catch them and now that you have him feeding Shep, I don't have to rescue them from your boots anymore." He didn't know that? Oops.
D'had chuckles, "They'll be fine babe, don't worry. Now why don't ya get some sleep yet before they're up and our day is started." The both know that once one of the twins are up they're both up and once they're up there's no hope of either of them getting any more sleep.
Oh they'll be fine alright. Because she may have given in about D'had taking Muir up on Siebith, but she's going to remain adamant about the swimming lessons. If she's got to endure the weyrfolk seeing her panic, he's going to get his family to swing by and take them to the island when it's time for the next stage. "That's like, asking the impossible." Telling her not to worry! Waste of his breath, he should know that by now. "Sleep sounds-" yawn. "-like a good idea." She snuggles in, closes her eyes and is out, deeply asleep within two heartbeats. Someone else will have to feed them breakfast because she's been up all night. Have fun with that D'had.