Children, Men, Ambitions

Writers: Heather, Miriah
Date Posted: 5th April 2019

Characters: Urlene, Chaysea
Description: Chaysea and Urlene have a tea and discuss children, men and ambitions
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 10, day 21 of Turn 9
Notes: Mentioned: Y'gel, Pacham

Urlene

----
Urlene poked the coals of the fire as the water in the tea kettle
began to bubble. Setting out small plates, she laid out the small
cookies she kept for her evening conversations with Chaysea. It was a
formality, of course, a remnant of her past life when she had been
expected to do such, but she found she enjoyed it. The light minty tea
filled her small neat living area with a brisk, pleasant scent, and
carefully gripping the pot with a holder, she set the hot kettle on
her table. The rap on her door made her lift her head. "Come in!"

Chaysea entered, a sling attached to the front of her chest, and in
it, a sleeping bundle of baby. The Headwoman held up a basket, "I
brought cheese and crackers as well to go with the cookies and tea."

Urlene paused at the sight of the sling. "Oh, you brought the babe."
She gave a brief tight smile, then waved Chaysea in. "The cheese and
crackers will be welcome." She poured two cups and set one before
Chaysea's usual place.

"Yes, I have to spend so much time away from her during the day that I
hate to leave her in the evening." Chaysea admitted as she took her
usual seat, hand reaching up to loosen the wrap that tied around her
neck. Pulling the sling away revealed the sleeping baby in her arms,
who seemed completely undisturbed by the voices going on around her.

"Motherhood seems to suit you well." The words were offered softly as
Urlene studied the infant. She cleared her throat and pushed forward
the plate of cookies. "She looks very healthy. Nice color and plump
cheeks." Urlene settled in her chair, quickly picking up her tea to
sip it.

"Would you like to hold her, Urlene?" Chaysea offered, extending the
babe toward her.

She hesitated, her normal calm reserve faltering, before she slowly
reached and took the child. Urlene held her carefully, bringing her
close before she finally looked down at the little girl's face. Her
eyes softened, but held a hint of bitter sadness in them. "Hello, little
one." The ache in her chest was old, rarely felt anymore, but still
familiar. She had helped birth more infants than she could count,
many needing to be pulled from the womb by surgical skill, but she
rarely held them longer than to pass them to another.

Chaysea smiled as she watched Urlene hold Seayra. She had heard people
talk her entire life about how having a child changed one's life, but
she hadn't truly experienced it until she'd adopted Seayra. Before
having her, Chaysea went home each evening, carrying her work and that
day's problems with her, but now, as soon as she was home and looking
at the sweet child, everything else faded.

When the ache grew too much, Urlene cleared her throat and brushed a
light hand over the baby's hair before handing her back to Chaysea.
"You're very lucky. She's beautiful." She leaned back and picked up
her tea again. She didn't drink, but held the cup in her hands.

"Thank you," Chaysea said as she tucked Seayra back into her arm. "So
tell me, how are things in the infirmary? Any interesting cases?" She
sipped at her tea.

"One, but I'm really not at liberty to discuss it." She was grateful
for the change in subject, but her eyes lingered on the sleeping baby
for just another moment. "The rest has been routine. Y'gel and I have
been talking about cross training some of the Healers to work with
dragons, but Pacham hasn't approved it yet. He's still "thinking about
it"."

As Headwoman, Chaysea knew all the figures for numbers of healers,
dragonhealers, and any other craft that showed up in the Weyr. "Do you
think there's a lack of dragonhealers that requires the healers to be
crosstrained? Or does the idea just stem from caution?"

"I think its more of a need for help, especially after a bad fall.
Dragonhealers have to take care of their dragons first, I suppose and
if there's an emergency, then the infirmary staff will be there to
assist. Just not me unless the rider needs stitching somewhere."
Chaysea was well aware of Urlene's fears, so wouldn't need an
explanation. She could handle Threadscores easily and any resulting
injuries from a Fall, but had never attended a dragon's needs, nor did
she plan on it.

Chaysea was often leading the front in the Weyrbowl during Threadfall,
directing lower caverns workers, drudges, apprentices even, with the
basic first aid of slathering numbweed on a score and bandaging it up.
They also oversaw bringing water or whatever else was needed by the
incoming riders and the working healers and dragonhealers. She knew
how chaotic it could be, and for the dragonhealers that flew half fall
and then returned to help tend injured dragons, it was most certainly
tiring. "I think it's a great idea. Maybe you can send Pacham a nice
baked goodie to get on his good side and speed him up," she winked.

"Pacham doesn't like me overly much, so likely that won't work."
Urlene admitted. Though the man had done much of her training, he had
told her that he felt she was too reserved, lacked empathy and held
herself back from the Weyr far too much. It had continued to be a sore
spot between them over the turns. "He's weyrmated to a greenrider, so
you would _think_ he'd be all for it."

"Maybe if you approached his greenrider then, she might could bend his
ear," Chaysea suggested with a sneaky raise of her eyebrows as she
lifted her tea cup again.

"And maybe wherries will fly out of my back end." Urlene eyed her
friend. "I think Y'gel will have to approach him or we'll have to wait
until he retires and we get a new Weyrhealer from the Hall."

The Headwoman snorted, "Retire? He's only sixty-nine, that's still
spry. My husband was seventy-three when I married him." Chaysea
grimaced before picking up a cracker that was stacked with a cheese
wedge.

"He's been talking about it. I think he just wants to spend his days
in the creche with the children or more time with his weyrmate" Urlene
saw the grimace and could relate; many of her friends had been married
to men that age. "Mine was thirty-six when I wed him. I was fifteen. I
suppose he must have had the best offer, because if I recall my
parents were quite pleased that there were several." She exhaled
through her nose. "Being of the Blood only made me more valuable and
attractive to suitors."

"My parents were just relieved that their old maid daughter was
finally marrying, and to a Master Crafter who had plenty of money."
Chaysea rolled her eyes a little, completely understanding where
Urlene was coming from. "My only saving grace was that he was fairly
feeble by that point from illness, and so I mostly just played sick
nurse to him, he never wanted to consummate the marriage, thank
Faranth." And then he'd died three Turns later, another thing she had
been thankful for since it had freed her to do whatever she pleased,
like becoming the Headwoman at the Vintner Hall, which had in turn
given her the resume to take the Headwoman position at Dolphin Cove
when it had become available.

"I think I would have preferred being Pengwil's nursemaid. He
certainly didn't have issues consummating." Her nose wrinkled at the
memory. Pengwil had insisted on his marital rights almost nightly,
excepting during her menses. Then he had went to one of his
mistresses. "He had two mistresses and myself. I don't think he slept
a full night the entirety we were wed."

"Good grief," Chaysea made a face of disgust, wrinkling her nose.
"Thank Faranth not all men are like that."

"From what I've seen here at the Weyr, most men are." Urlene declared;
she had come to be able to study something that interested her and her
initial experiences after her arrival had cemented in her that men
typically were only interested in her to slake their own lusts. "But,
no matter. I heard that Pengwil ended up marrying one of them. He
should have as it was; he got her with child twice during our
marriage."

Chaysea thought of L'pin and Z'an, two of the first dragonriders she'd
met when she had first moved to Dolphin Cove and how gentlemanly they
had both treated her, but she knew that Urlene had deeper scars
concerning men, so she let the subject go. "Well, at least you're at
the Weyr now where you can put your talents to use, saving lives."

Urlene nodded. "Yes. I wouldn't be able to do it at the Hall, but I
can here and it's a satisfying life." Her lips finally lifted in
satisfaction. "One day, I'll be a Master. I'll never be a HallMaster
of course, but I can be a Master here." There was a gleam in her eye.
"And if Pacham does't retire soon, then perhaps someday when he does,
I may replace him" That was her ultimate goal, the highest level she
could potentially reach, her life's ambitions complete. It wouldn't be
soon, but she could wait.

"To your future success then," Chaysea said with a lift of her cup
because she had no doubt that Urlene would do exactly what she set her
mind to do.

Last updated on the April 12th 2019

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Children, Men, Ambitions