Setting a Date

Writers: Jane, Kaysea
Date Posted: 10th September 2007

Characters: Swift, Kateena
Description: Swift and Kateena set the date!!!
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 5, day 27 of Turn 4

Down by the dolphin's bell his betrothed was waiting.

Swift chuckled as he jogged along in the rain, heading for the bell and Kateena and thinking that if he'd had any sort of harpering skill he could have made a ballad out of this.

Perhaps not the pouring rain; but it was just rain. Not cold or blowing. Not a storm. But still, romantic harper ballads didn't usually include teeming rain.

And to be truthful, Kateena probably wasn't waiting for him. More likely saying good-night to Civi and the others that were hanging around. Were dolphineers even a good subject for romantic ballads?
None came immediately to mind. Even if they were, he was fairly sure that kitchen workers weren't - unless they were young and female.

He wasn't. Kateena was. No doubt about that with clothing dripping wet and clingy. He slowed to a walk and couldn't suppress a grin of appreciation. Kateena was a very beautiful young woman and he was probably the luckiest kitchen hand on Pern.

There ought to be a ballad in their story, he reckoned.

"Play tomorrow Civi. Time for me to call it a day, now." Kateena laughed at the encouraging way Civi and the pod were behaving. It wasn't as if they hadn't all worked hard today, but the endless 'games' were just that - endless. They didn't want to quit for the day.

Footfalls on the jetty alerted her to a visitor, and Civi reared up and chittered a greeting to Swift as he neared her at the end of the wooden structure. "Hi." She smiled and gave a breathless welcome. Just having him around made her feel giddy and adolescent again. "I was just about to head up to change before dinner," she said, slipping an arm around his waist.

"What made you think you'd need to change?" Swift asked, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close to kiss.

"Mmm, this is the best part of the day for me, these days." She smiled, enjoying the feel of his arms around her and his lips on hers. "Though I think some may have objections to my attire for the evening meal." She pulled away from him.

"Not everyone appreciates being able to see more of me." she chuckled, glancing down to the thin band of fabric covering her chest and the brief short trous she wore covering her nether regions. "Besides, I quite enjoy titivating myself for you in the evenings."

"And I enjoy the results," he admitted. "Though you're lovely like this too."

"You're a flatterer." she smiled, and kissed him again. "But tonight I won't be going to as much trouble as usual; all I want to do is get changed and then while we eat, we need to start planning."

"Planning?" He looked around called a goodbye to Civi, then turned to walk alongside Kateena as they headed back toward the cliffs that housed the Hall. "What are we planning?"

"The wedding, of course." She smiled, "Mother will be here in two days, she's staying for at least two nights before heading back." She waited for him to stiffen beside her, the news about her mother was new, she'd only found out herself a few scant candlemarks ago when an unknown firelizard had appeared with a scroll for her.

"Her dragon's staying _here_? Oh, you mean at the Weyr?" He sighed happily. "I haven't been down there as much as I used to."

"Well, I think she'd be better off up at the Weyr. And I know Aramyth will stay up there, but mum'll probably wander down here each day. She said she wants to get to know you - and me, again."

"And I am looking forward to meeting her," Swift said, tightening his hold on Kateena's waist to pull her even closer in an unspoken reassurance that he wasn't sure his wife-to-be needed. The family life with such distant bonds to her parents was foreign to him, but Kateena seemed to find it unremarkable. Apparently there was more to Weyrs than dragons.

"I'm sure you'll love each other." Kateena smiled, "Mum's pretty easy going, and she's excited to find I'm marrying. She said I've left it a bit late, but I was just waiting for you to come into my life."

Swift chuckled. "I think it was you that came into my life. Here I was, working, watching dragons, eyeing up the journeywoman's clutches of firelizard eggs ... Now I'm getting married. Starting a new life," he added, feeling very much as it that was what was happening. Even marrying Belevi had changed everything, but they had been about the same age - and both young. He could only imagine life with Kateena would bring more changes than he could imagine - and he was looking forward to them.

"Well you have your own firelizard now," she smiled, " you'll get an even closer view of a dragon when mum comes to visit. And soon - when we finally get around to setting a date - you'll be married." she said ticking off each point as she spoke. "But we really do need to talk about it all." she tightened her arm around his waist. "Mother is going to want to know what date, to prepare my father for..."

"Soon." He stopped and pulled Kateena closer, kissing her briefly, then releasing her a little, aware that they were in a public place. "The last restday next month has Threadfall, but the others are free. It won't - You don't want a big ceremony, do you?"

"A girl only marries once," she smiled, an impish smile curled her lips.

"You might marry again," he said thoughtfully, his thoughts falling into a path they often trod, "because of the difference in our ages."

"You'll not leave me for a while yet, Swift." She turned towards him, her eyes soft with love, "I was teasing, my love," she said quietly.
"No," she looked ahead again, determined, "I don't want a big wedding, just family and a few close friends; and of course the Hallmaster and staff. Oh," she stopped, looking up at him again, "it's working up to a few - isn't it?"

"Less than half-of-Pern, though," he said, much relieved. "As soon as we have a date in mind -" he grinned at her, because the final decision would be hers, "- we can speak to the Headwoman and Hallmaster."

"When do you prefer, before the weather warms up or after?" she half supposed the cooler weather would be more suitable to the northerners who would be coming down, but may be they would prefer the warmer weather after suffering through a northern winter.

"I prefer _soon_," he said, laughing. "And the weather goes from dry to wet here, rather than warmer and cooler."

"Oh? I didn't know, this transfer is the first I've had down to the southern continent, I've not experienced the warmer, err, hotter months here." She considered his words, "So I should plan for soon then? Next month or the month after, then?"

"Next month," he said firmly, trying not to smile and ruin his apparent certainty.

"Okay, we have the month sorted, any decisions on the date?" she grinned, pleased that he had actually chosen the month, they could have been stuck on this decision for a Turn if left to her. "I'll tell you now, I can be rather hopeless at decision making."

"As I said, the first three restdays look good. The fourth is Threadfall."

"The third restday then? I still want to give mother some bargaining time with father."

"Sounds perfect." Anything that didn't mean he had to wait for months to marry Kateena sounded wonderful to him.

"We have the date!" Kateena clapped her hand to her mouth in excitement, "Oh Swift! I'm.... I'm so excited." she tugged on his arm. "C'mon, we have to go. I have to let mother know." But she stopped suddenly, turned to face him again her hands moved to his shoulders and standing on tiptoe, she kissed him with fervour. "You have made me so happy." she smiled, her eyes locking with his.

Swift dragged her closer and kissed her in return, then grinned. "And you're doing the same for me."

Last updated on the September 13th 2007

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Setting a Date