Babies Everywhere
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Xanadu Weyr - Clearing
A wide clearing stretches from east to west, the ground packed hard although grass grows across most of it. Trees are strictly forbidden in this space, their danger to the constant draconic traffic reason enough to banish them to the forest that creates a this and sharp border to the north. Where the ground is less trampled, tiny flowers poke their delicate heads out from their shaded hiding places with upturned petals to wave to whoever may be looking.
The cliff looms imposingly on three sides, stretching upwards all the way up the side of the mountain where, high above, Xanadu's Star Stones and the ever present watchdragon sit on a lonely peak. Directly south is a massive tunnel, fully wide enough for even the largest dragon to fly down. Southeast are wide steps leading up to the Caverns and eastwards is the large entrance to the Infirmary. Somewhat north of the Infirmary is a human sized archway that has a frequent quantity of traffic — it leads to the Tavern. Southwest lies the low ledges currently belonging to Xanadu's queens while north and west a broad path cut by the side of the cliff leads to the Feeding Grounds and due north is the spacious trail that leads to the rest of the Weyr.


Xvetaoth is stretched out to one edge of the clearing, glowing in her usual manner, with Xylaihl leaning against her. In the woman's arms is a cloth bundle, rather suspiciously baby-sized. Indeed, it is, for she's holding her almost three month old son, although he looks quite a bit older. He was a large one. Xylaihl is singing a lullaby, poorly, and rather unsuccessfully, as the boy is bawling.

Dulacth lands in the clearing, with a quick swoop. Senkyou is curiously absent, and he doesn't wear any straps. The brown keeps a few lengths between him an the green, but gives a small croon hello to Xvetaoth. A few moments later Senkyou can be seen walking up the path from the beach, she is soaked wet and carrying Dulacths straps, hearing the baby she sighs, and covers her ears a little. "Hello Xylaihl." She says, looking at the baby like it might bite.

Xylaihl sighs, a long-suffering sigh, and looks up at Senkyou's barely heard - over the baby bawling - greeting. "Ah, hello." she responds, not quite her usual cheerful self today. "Thought I'd never be doing this again, my last was ten already!" she comments somewhat cryptically on child-raising. She looks to the infant, and shakes her head. "Would you, could you, hold him? Just for a moment?" she offers, /really/ not cut out for this. Xvetaoth seems oblivious, instead crooning a warm greeting to Dulacth, perhaps a little /too/ warm, though she glows no more than usual, even if that is still brighter than many proddy greens.

Senkyou peeks at the little bundle of 'joy' seeming to weigh having to actually touch it, then sighing as Dulacth nudges her a bit she replies. "Fine, guess I've gotta get use to it, though if I where you I'd make the father do a bit of the work." Reaching out to take the baby she seems about as cut out for children as Xylaihl, though Senk has gained some weight, only those who knew her would probably recognize it. Dulacth inches nearer to Xvetaoth, his eyes whirling fast green and blue, cinnamon and velvet green ask Xvetaoth «How fairs you and yours my lovely?» His mind voice chivalrous and fluid.

Ryski stopped being a bundle of joy once he could start walking. The turns since haven't really done much to remedy that, and the young boy heads along the path from the beach with a stick in hand. It's a sword, really. A crooked, absurdly thin, wobbly sword. But it at least suffices well enough for the job of poking at objects. A disgruntled spiderclaw was the latest victim, likely still clacking it's small claws in defiance somewhere on the beach. As he heads through the clearing, however, the boy stops, peering somewhat in the direction of dragonriders and..babything. And so, in that direction he goes, quite deliberately sticking his nose in. "You had one of those things too?" Thankfully, there's no prodding at the baby with the stick. At least..not yet

Xylaihl hands the infant over without hesitation, pouting when he goes instantly quiet. "Oh, I see how it is." she snorts, and shakes her head. As for the father, she notes to Senkyou, "Haven't seen him since before the birth, he's busy. Still more involved than the fathers of my other children." she notes, with a roll of her eyes. "The boy's name is Xylan." she notes, though it's pronounced with a bit more of a Z sound than an X sound. She turns at the question from Ryski, and eyes the stick warily. He'd better not poke her baby, he's only just stopped crying! "Yep. I had one of those things too. That one there, Xylan. He'll be three months old in a couple of days." But, as mentioned, he's bigger than the average baby of that age.

Dulacth spots Ryski and watches the boy closely, though he uses the moment to get a little closer to Xvetaoth. Senk holds the baby like it carries some weird disease, rocking it and saying. "Now be quiet, come on.. just shushhhhhhhh." She sounds a little motherly, if you listen just right. Bouncing the baby she walks in little circles, "Well I've got two who's fathers are real involved, and one.. well we haven't talked about it yet." Trailing off, "Though it's not like there is anything real to discuss, heard he already has 14 or 15 kids, and the one is question isn't even here yet."

Ryski just tilts his head for a moment, just looking back and forth between the baby, and then the riders, one brow lifting ever so slightly. Really, he looks a bit bored with the subject of babies and fathers and such, but his focus returns after a few minutes to the child being bounced and walked around, trying to get a slightly better look. "Who cares about the father anyway? Not like he's important or anything." He nudges at the ground with his stick then, rather than poke it at living critters, digging a small hole in the dirt.

Xylaihl snorts, and eyes little Xylan, "I … suspect I know who you mean." she says, eyeing Xvetaoth thoughtfully. "He prefers to call the boy Zylan, the father does." she shrugs a little, "I suppose the boy will decide his own name when he's older, but until then, I'll call him Xylan." she nods, frowning at the baby. Xvetaoth is quite happy to allow Dulacth closer, inching closer to him herself. Xylaihl shakes her head a little, then tilts it at Ryski. "Well, no, I can't suppose I've noticed the lack of paternal input in raising my own children. Mostly because I've fostered them off after a turn or so, but still." She ponders this, thoughtfully. She still hasn't decided whether or not to foster her youngest.

Senkyou shhhsss the baby, and sighs heavily moving to sit down. "My kids are raised by the Weyr, I foster but I also try and take a bit of time with my kids." Dulacth is eyed and Senk says irritatingly, "Don't you dare." Dulacth sniffs at Senk but is now just a few feet from Xvetaoth, Ryski gets a very small smile from senk and she asks, "I bet you where just a wonder for you mother, or foster mother whichever it may be." Looking at Xylaihl she asks, "So you've heard of L'ton?" Hearing the Z thing she sighs, "You mean this is what his kids are like?" Her face takes on a look like she might have been handed a death sentence.

Ryski tilts his head to look at Senkyou blandly. "My mom's Tay." Oh yes, feel horribly sorry for the woman..really. Still, the boy does shrug somewhat, stretching his arms above his head before going back to poking at the ground, shuffling away from the riders somewhat.

Xylaihl chuckles, and takes a seat now that the dragon she was leaning against, Xvetaoth, has moved off to be with Dulacth. "I, honestly, you just went up a few months ago." she mutters at the green. But, she doesn't seem concerned. There's still some time to go. Either way, she nods to her son, and sighs. "Give him here, I'll hold him." she says finally, nodding in brief agreement to L'ton, "He's the father, but I don't know if this is all /his/ doing, the boy resembles my own father, in build at least." To Ryski, Xylaihl manages a smile. "Ah, poor Tay." she teases, lightly. Though really, from what she's seen here, he's like any other boy of his age. Her own second-to-last son is just a couple of turns younger.

Senkyou hands the baby back quickly, happy to have her hands free and shaking her arms as if the small amount of time holding the baby made them sore. "He's…cute." She searches for a good lie, and glances at Dulacth, who is keeping himself close to Xvetaoth. The comment of Tay makes Senk laugh, "Poor thing, though I don't know many who don't foster. Maybe cause a lot of riders would raise the biggest brats." Slouching a bit she asks Ryski, "Where you fostered? I don't know exactly what it might be like, I'm hold bred so it never came up." The baby is given another glance, "Hopefully, cause all I know about the father is he is from ista and has tons of kids.

Ryski breaks off the tip of his stick, flicking that bit of twig away before starting a bit lower, snapping off another small piece. The mention of being fostered earns a slight glare from the boy, however, puffing up somewhat. "/No./" Though really, his tone might suggest that just /that/..was a bad thing. Maybe being fostered is a good thing? "Who cares, anyway? It's not like it matters."

Xylaihl tilts her head at Xvetaoth, or Dulacth, the two are pretty close at the moment. "I know why he's here," she nods to the baby boy in her arms, "Flight." she then turns her head curiously in Senkyou's direction, and seems about to ask a question, then thinks better of it, blushing and changing the subject. "Ah, I was holdbred too, I just… I couldn't raise my first children, I felt bad about it, still do, but they've fared much better being fostered. And after fostering them, well, it's only fair to foster the rest, too." though she looks down at her son, with a confused expression on her face, "Right?" she frowns, then raises her eyebrows at Ryski's logic, even if it doesn't perhaps have the intended effect. "Exactly, not like it matters. I don't /have/ to foster." she says brightly. Of course, she'll feel differently in a few more months, for sure. She always has this same debate, and always fosters.

Senkyou touches her stomach for a very brief moment, looking at Ryski. "Speaking of mothers and fostering, don't they have things for you little ones to do?" Calling him a little one, not rude but compared to senk he is little. Dulacth croons to Xvetaoth, puffing out his chest a bit and inching his tail so he can have his tail on hers. The dragon distract senk and she sighs, "Well they look comfy enough, though I'm really not in the mood for him to chase." Squatting down and saying, "I think it matters, cuz being hold bred I am a bit different from the weyrbred. And I find most children raised by riders lack attention, there dragons take a lot of care. It's better on the kid to foster."

Ryski looks..just about ready to rupture. Really, lips press together, if only the smallest attempt to hold in just how he feels about everything. It doesn't work. The hands holding onto that stick shift, breaking that flimsy piece of wood. "I'm not /little/." It comes out a growl, almost, eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm gonna be twelve in a couple days. /Twelve/. I don't need a nanny runnin' around after me! I can take care of myself /just/ fine!" The boy fumes, a hand coming up to briefly rub at his cheek. There was a gnat..or something there. It itched.

Xvetaoth twines her own tail around Dulacth's, crooning happily. Xylaihl snorts. "You big flirt." she says, with a roll of her eyes. "Honestly, if it's blue, brown, or bronze, you can't keep your paws off, can you?" Xvetaoth's response is silence, as she ignores her rider. "Ah, Xvetaoth rose when I was eight months pregnant with this big boy here, not exactly a time I'd've chosen." she comments, shaking her head slowly. As for Ryski, well, "Ah, you're a big boy now, are you?" she asks, in an unintentionally patronising tone. It's a lot like talking to her — admittedly younger — son.

Senkyou wrinkles her nose at Ryski, as if he has just shrunk. "You will always be little, tell you are taller than me." Dulacth happily twines tails crooning and humming lightly to Xvetaoth, the two are just two peas in a pod. "Though you just helped me decide, fostering definetly makes better children." Turning to Xylaihl she says, "Dulacth chased a few days after I had my oldest Serenity, but I guess you can't choose when she rises, I on the other hand can at least control a bit when it comes to chasing." Dulacth snorts at her comment, apparently her control is in question.

Ryski looks positively offended. Though offended might be an underestimation to the boy's expression of anger. Intentional or not, the patronizing has occurred, and he isn't happy about it. "Maybe if I was five. I'm not, cuz I /just/ said I was old enough." Glowering, he tosses the rest of the broken stick away, allowing it to land in the nearby dirt with a thud, before that same glare is centered on Senkyou. "That's a stupid excuse. Thinking you're all better and smarter cuz you're /taller/." He takes a breath then, letting it out in a rushed huff. "It's just stupid. Everything /about/ it." He does move then, stepping on the broken remains of the stick as he moves toward the caverns.

Xylaihl shakes her head. "I can pretty much guarantee she'll rise at least once during a pregnancy, often late in it. I've made my peace with it, doesn't mean I have to /enjoy/ it." she rolls her eyes, though she does manage to look on the bright side, "But hey, at least I can't get pregnant when that happens!" she smiles slightly, helped a lot by the fact that her bawling son has, finally, drifted off to sleep. "Maybe because we're /older/. We've seen more, we know how the world works a little better." Though, she remembers how she felt about /that/ at that age, so she shuts up now, and just shakes her head at Ryski. "See, this is why I foster, I'm not good with people from age 2 to age 20." she notes, with a grimace.

Senkyou gives a small sigh shaking her head, "Well if you'd start acting a bit older maybe people would stop calling you little, and I'm not only taller, but I'm older and I know your mother." Not a word is said rudely, just extremely matter of fact she turns on her heel, "And when your mother asks I'm Wingleader Senkyou." She says before looking at Dulacth, who untwines seeming a little unhappy to leave Xvetaoth. To Xylaihl she says, "Enjoy motherhood, I should be back in the air in four to zix sevendays, gotta get healer clearance." The brownrider leaves, carrying Dulacths straps.

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