Xanadu Weyr – Meadow

A large, slightly rolling meadow is set high enough above the riverbank on both sides to avoid suffering from flooding, healthy ground cover and grass spreading out from either side of the dividing river. Scattered amongst the meadow are a variety of buildings, each with a narrow path leading up to it from a main, winding road. Some are set under a few trees, while others sit by themselves.
Stables and a smithy are settled on their own plots, while trees border the western edge of the meadow, and a faint outline of a fence can be seen to the north.
In the meadow, well away form most residences is Alosynth and Kezi, both who have a fair amount of swamp mud on them, though most of it's dry, both Alo's and Kezi's head are fairly clean however. With them are M'nol and Faraeth who is a little off in color.
M'nol nods with another soft chuckle, "Tell them you have to stay. You're missed." He grins, "Yeah. I can't wait to see the newest flood of candidates. I wonder which of the queens will go up next." He glances at Faraeth and then blushes "Stop that! You know better." Faraeth just wuffles, still eyeing Alosynth.
Midafternoon finds Thea thankfully finished in the office and free of paperwork earlier today. Her coat is buttoned over the now-pronounced swell of belly, hands shoved into her pockets, head down as she negotiates her course through remnants of half-thawed snow drifts that alternate with mud as she heads across the meadow towards the forest rather than her residence on the coastal road. Squish-squish. She's deep in thought, but not unpleasant ones as her face reflects serenity and contentment.
Alosynth starts to preen a little and and just croons softly. Keziah on the other is muttering under her breath as she eyes the green and then turns to look at M'nol, deliberatly not commenting. "Yeah well, hard to tell them I'm not coming when they wern't sure whether Da was going to survive or not." she shrugs a little "Still, tis good to see Mother again and all." She hmms a little "I dunno which'll go up." she notes as she looks up at the sky, she ain't gonna watch M'nol blush and all. Alosynth for her part pauses but a moment in her preening to just look at Faraeth and then goes back to nudging some of the muck off, letting it fall in clumps.
M'nol lets his blush fade slightly, "True… just make sure they don't keep you forever… seems like a turn since I last saw you." Faraeth simply admires Alosynth in her preening, even reaching across to knock some of the muck off with the tip of his pointy nose. M'nol nods some, "I went home the first night after… ma said I should've fed her 'til she couldn't leave… But I didn't… don't…" He sighs, at a loss for words, before his head comes up at Thea's portly crossing, "Thea!" He smiles, "How're you two doing?"
The sound of voices causes Thea to raise her head and noting who is talking over there, she angles her steps to intercept them, pulling one gloved hand from her pocket and waving at the pair, eyeing Alosynth in all her muddy glory, then Faraeth gets an assessing look. Drawing up to them, she catches the last few words, "Trouble at home Kezi?" Concern laces her question and as her attention is on the greenrider, she misses M'nol's speculative question and resultant blush. "I'm doing alright, looking forward to being able to sleep comfortably again. D'had’s… got a lot on his mind these days." If that's the two he meant. He easy grin includes them both. "M'nol, feeling any better? Faraeth looks a bit peaked."
Keziah turns to glance around and she smiles at Thea "Ahh, well Da had some heart troubles and all. Though the trouble was more in gettin' him to listen to the healers and such and to step down and let Casar take over and all. I mean, it's not like Cas hasn't been doing a lot of the overseeing and all, but Da, well he doesn't like ta admit he's gettin' old." she frowns a little and then grins "But then Casi got to him, my niece, after all, if Papa's not workin' he can play with her."
M'nol smiles at Thea and nods, "We're doing alright… good to know that you are as well. I hope D'had gets less busy soon." He glances at Faraeth, then back at Thea, "He probably needs to eat soon… we've been /between/ a lot lately… and stressed." He stays silent while Keziah goes over her return to see her family, then nods, "My Da's the same way."
Thea nods, her shoulders relaxing, "Glad he's at least listening to them now," she notes to Keziah. "I think my da will die in his office chair someday." Her hand slides back into her pocket as she flashes a smirk towards M'nol. "It's the thought of being a daddy again rather than busy to be honest with you." She frowns slightly, "At least I think that's it, cos he won't really say." She tilts her head at the brown rider, " Ah yeah? Between a lot lately? Off visiting about were you?" She clears her throat, not asking him the question at the tip of her tongue, instead, she casually mentions, "I saw Phy up at Healer Hall."
Keziah glances over at Thea at the mention of Phy and then over at M'nol. She then turns her attention onto Alosynth who seems to be enjoying the attention she's getting from Faraeth. Kez hmms a little and then she glances back at Thea, or well her belly really. "So, how is it? Being pregnant I mean?"
M'nol nods to Thea, "I'm sure he'll come into it just fine." The mention of Phy re-darkens his visage and Faraeth gives a soft rumble, "She's back. I went to see her… it didn't end well." Yeah… a shouting match heard two buildings over counts as not going well. "I'm trying to move on… considering a break from search and rescue, though… the memories of the fire and floods are starting to weigh heavy on my mind."
Thea glances down at her own belly pondering Keziah's question slowly. "It's… like…being…proddy without the consistency? I mean, up one minute, down the next with no rhyme or reason. Scents trigger the oddest responses too." She grins, "Half the time I dunno whether I'll lose my lunch or pounce what smells good." This could be rather complicated if the scent isn't food no? "I feel heavy and awkward and sorta crowded inside." She giggles adding, "Seryth says just lay the egg already." She flashes M'nol a look of understanding, "It gets better as you adjust, trust me. And she told me to tell you to take care of yourself." She mulls his comments over. "Break… might do you good. What will you do instead?"
Keziah frowns a little at the description and then headshakes "Okay, doesn't sound like I'm really missing out on anything. Mother sure makes it sound like I am." she shudders again and then laughs "Be easier wouldn't it if you could just drop them off like eggs. Then again, you'ld be stuck sitting on it." She frowns a little "Doesn't sound like much fun." she glances at M'nol and purses her lips at his expression "Well dang it all, and after all the hard work I went to of cheerin' him up, now look at him. What am I gonna have to do get some food just so I can trip over me own feet and spill it?" she says with a bit of tongue in cheek.
M'nol chuckles softly, "How long before you have the egg?" At the mention of taking care of himself his brows draw together. Yup. That was the nerve, right there. He closes his eyes, taking several deep breaths before me manages to murmur, "yeah… she told me…" Several more deep breaths follow. No reason to alienate Thea by reliving a fight that's happened. Been and done. So for a moment he focuses on Kez and he can't suppress a childish giggle at the image of Thea sitting on an egg, then a slightly more manly one at Keziah's mention of spilling food all over herself, "Don't ruin good clothes just for that, Kez… after all, you're already covered in muck." The look he turns back to Thea's last question is calmer, more controlled, and definitely happier, "Well… Farry and I were thinking about asking what it takes to be an assistant weyrling master."
"Oh, nonono." Thea raises a forefinger and wavers it back and forth, "See, the way I look at it, D'had helped with it, so he'd be helping out with that egg-sitting." This amuses her greatly, by the snickering that ensues after the comment. "Aw, it's not so bad," she reassures Keziah, "Tired some but I've seen gals look all peaked and dragged out." She's at least looking chipper and energetic. "Oh. about another month, M'nol. But it would be more like a hatching than a clutching." Having missed and not heard of said fight, but well able to read between the lines, she adds kindly, "It will get better with time, trust me." Her brows lift at the mention of assistant weyrlingmaster, a delighted smile spreads across her face, "That's a great idea, M'nol! And perhaps, more rewarding for you, too?"
Keziah eyes M'nol a moment and then nods her head a little, but she can't help but smile "A little food ain't gonna hurt these any worse than they already are." she notes "Sides, you get used to thinks happenin' as a Beastcrafter, sometimes you use whats on hand like a skirt when deliverin' a kid." she chuckles at that memory and then eyes Thea "A hatching? I can just see it now, a baby chrashin' it's way out, sprawling on the ground and fighting to get up and all that.. well actually you know I don't wanna think about a baby coming out that way." she shudders and then goes with the other topic "It'd be a good job fer him and all, no? Terrorizing weyrlings? Almost as much fun as terrorizing candi's"
M'nol's grins more broadly, "As if the image of you sitting on an egg wasn't funny enough. Still, as I said before, you'll hatch a beautiful baby, I'm sure. And it won't hurt nearly so much as Kez makes it sound." One hand comes up to run slightly through his hair, then he nods, "I'm glad you think so. Both of you." Faraeth gives another rumble, happier this time, "A month's not too much longer." He glances back at Kez, "Who said anything about terrorizing? I'll just scare 'em a little."
Thea just laughs, shaking her head at Keziah, a smirk finding it's way to her face as she envisions a babe skittering off right after entering the world, "Me either, especially with a stunned D'had unable to chase after it, hmm?" Because she's certainly not about to leap up off the cot after birthing to do it. She blinks at M'nol, then at Keziah. Pain was mentioned? She must have missed that. "I was more concerned with mayhem, to be honest." She giggles and shrugs. "I've got to go see to some things. Nice talking to you guys." And she's off in the direction of the forest and her old weyr, cheerily reminding M'nol, "And you'd be working with V'dim, so likely you'd be an accessory to terror, whether you mean to or not." Is that…. it is! A snicker of amusement floating back behind her on the eddying late winter breeze.