Separation

Writers: Sia
Date Posted: 2nd March 2025

Characters: Q'vettan, R'lani, S'var
Description: Q'vettan is called to deliberate for two ex-weyrmates
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 5, day 11 of Turn 12

Q'vettan

Unlike many harpers, Q’vettan's office was impeccably neat. Only the essentials were set out; a pen, blank hides, a steaming mug that had bright but crudely painted flora common in the Igen desert. He sat behind his desk, fingers loosely laced together and resting casually in his lap, as he waited for the other two men to make themselves comfortable.

Or as comfortable as they possibly could. S'var and R'lani had made quite a name for themselves in Weyr gossip as their relationship deteriorated, culminating in a glass flying off the ledge and crashing at the feet of some weyrbrat kids on the way to the Lower Caverns. Across from him, S’var leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his broad chest, his jaw tight with frustration. R’lani sat at the edge of his, shifting his weight restlessly, barely able to keep still.

The office remained quiet, neither of the two wanting to be the first to initiate. Like they reserved all their emotions for each other. The pot of klah and two equally garish mugs remained untouched on the side table. A pity. Klah usually helped silences like this.

Q'vettan cleared his throat and reached for the two roughly written lists he had both men prepare. He fumbled in a drawer for his glasses and pushed them on.

}: It's odd that you could see and now you can't. :{ Tzenketh supplied. }: I can see just fine, unless I'm looking through yours. :{

"I appreciate that you both brought lists." Q'vettan said over what was becoming a monologue on eyes and seeing that would fizzle out before the bronze could meander to a point. He was used to it by now, and his voice did not betray that he was talking 'over' someone. "Not everyone does. There's some expected overlap, so if we could start there…?"

S'var grunted and R'lani nodded, which Q'vettan took as agreement and looked back down at the lists. "The chair?"

The tension simmering finally burst.

"Mine." R'lani said immediately.

S’var scowled. “You hardly ever sit in it!”

“Yeah, but when I did, I appreciated it.”

Q’vettan asked, “Who brought it into the weyr?”

S’var hesitated. “…Me.”

“Then it’s yours.” He turned to R’lani. “Pick something to balance it.”

R'lani reached for his list and Q'vettan handed it back. S'var opened his mouth to make a comment, but a look over Q'vettan's glasses shut it again. "The bookshelf, then."

S’var let out an exasperated sound. "It has _my_ books on it!"

"Our books." R'lani countered. "And my things. I like how it looks, not that that matters."

Q’vettan waited, looking between them both, braving the silence to drink his klah. S'var was the most prone to outbursts throughout this whole process, though he'd spent half of their last meeting lecturing them both like errant weyrlings.

Finally, the brownrider exhaled through his nose. "Fine. Take the shards-blasted bookshelf."

"Do we have to go over the books? Or the things?" Q'vettan asked.

"No, sir." R'lani said, "Not yet, anyway."

The division continued, down the list. A set of dishes with a chipped plate, a crocheted blanket that had been a gift, a table they had purchased together and saved a significant amount of marks to purchase. Some items were bartered for and some were abandoned entirely. The only things that required no argument were the small wooden dragon figurines their daughter had painted with them and had, until recently, been displayed proudly in their weyr. That would be given to her to display with her mother.

Q'vettan saw the opportunity to segue. "Speaking of which. I heard you've been having trouble scheduling your time with her."

R'lani winced and put his head in his hands. "We must have looked feral."

"Throwing juice in my face in the dining hall didn't look _normal_." S'var said.

Q'vettan sat back in his chair and waited. They composed themselves after a few jabs, once they realized the harper was pretending not to listen by staring at an invisible spot somewhere over their heads. Tzenketh was still mumbling something about the wonders of growing old.

"She's my daughter too." S'var said, his voice low and tense. "I've been her father since the day she was born, but it feels like I've been cut out since the separation."

"Cut out? When-" R'lani took a deep breath. Counted to three. "I know that. I don't mean to keep them from you."

"We aren't questioning parentage here." Q'vettan agreed. "Mothers do have final say on custody matters. You're both lucky that she's all right with keeping the current agreement. You're both fighting over the same days, yes? I'll put in a request for you both to change Wings. No one gets to stay, but then there's no overlap. Can I trust you both to tell her mother and communicate for anything else that doesn't fit under those days? Healer visits, parent-harper meetings, Turn's End…?"

For a moment, it looked like the both of them might turn on him. Then finally R'lani sighed and glanced at S'var.

"Is this how it's going to be from now on?" He asked.

S'var couldn't meet his ex-weyrmate's gaze. "I guess so."

"I'll give you two a few days to talk it out with the third parent. Tell me what days work for her, and then I'll send the request to your Wingleader. And I'll write out an agreement for you both to sign and take home. If things need adjusting later, come to me and not each other's throats." He'd keep a copy for himself, of course, for the archives and in case their dispute escalated further than him.

R'lani snorted. "No promises." Q'vettan shot him a sharp look but the bluerider was already up, grabbing his riding jacket and tucking it under one arm as he left.

S'var and Q'vettan sat in silence for a moment, Q'vettan collected the hides and neatly set them aside. "Do the harpers teach this kind of patience?"

"It's an asset in the craft." Q'vettan agreed mildly. "This isn't the first separation I've deliberated, and it won't be the last. Just because we don't get married doesn't mean that splitting up two lives is easy. We've almost all been there."

}: You got the books but not the bookshelf. :{ Tzenketh mused, }: Tripping over books still.:{

"Yeah, well." S'var looked down at his hands again, then looked up. Decided not to say whatever he thought about saying and stood instead. "Thank you, anyway."

"You're welcome." Q'vettan reached for his mug. The klah was cool now. "I'll see you both in a few days."

Last updated on the March 20th 2025

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Separation