Something In Common

Writers: AL, Vix
Date Posted: 25th June 2008

Characters: Eliste, Jardon
Description: Jardon visits Eliste and he talks to her a bit about his daughter.
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 10, day 9 of Turn 4

For once, Eliste wasn't working on a quilt. She had the one for Reitha and her husband pieced together. Next, she would quilt it, then bind it. Other than that, the only projects she would be working on were quilts to bring in some marks for her. All of the gifts she had made were done and she was taking a break from sewing to enjoy the sunshine.
The healer had told her things were going well, and if they continued to do so, perhaps he could lift her restrictions in another day or so. She could walk around, though not too much. That would be nice -
very nice. She would like to take a walk along the shore of the river.
She would have to wait until he gave her the okay, though.

At least she was able to gaze at the river, the way it danced around the turns and teased the shore. She could smell its sharpness and almost taste the water in the back of her throat. She could hear its deep murmur almost in the innermost of her being. It was almost as if it were singing to her. She was so wrapped up in it, the whisper of the wind, the warmth of the sun spreading through her that she didn't realise the visitor approaching.

"It appears that you've found someone to bring you outdoors while I was gone," Jardon smiled as he spoke, glad that she had not had to be indoors the entire time he was gone, and yet a bit jealous that someone else had taken on that task.

Eliste turned at the sound of a familiar voice, startled at first, but her expression relaxed into a smile when she saw who it was. "Hello Jardon. Yes, the midwife helped me after he came for a checkup. How was your trip?"

He nodded, his smile deepening as he reflected. "Business went well and I spent some time with my daughter." "I hope she is well." Eliste offered. It was strange, Jardon was the second man she had met with at least one child, but no wife. She had never encountered such a thing outside of Emerald Falls - but then, she had come to the conclusion that in some ways, her former life was very sheltered.

"She is," he told her. "Jamora is a true child of the river, so it's difficult to get her to walk ashore at all. I fear that I bribe her with too many sweets to have her spend time with me." Eliste had never met Jamora, so she supposed it was safe to assume that the child was not a resident on the Sungazer. Granted, there were probably plenty of people she hadn't met on the riverboat, but Eliste was good with faces and she remembered all the children she had met as well as their names, and the name Jamora had not been among them. "What does she look like? I don't think I have met her."

He laughed. "I'm told that she looks like me, though I think she's too pretty to believe that. She has my hair, all tight curls – like my mother's. But her eyes. . . they're the green of the river depths." His smile faded. "She gets that from her mother." "Oh. She sounds lovely." Eliste wanted to ask more about Jamora's mother but the way his smile had faded made her bite her tongue. It really wasn't her business anyway. "How old is she?"

"She'll be five turns next month," he told her. "Though she has the energy of two that age." "I can believe it." Eliste smiled, remembering the children she had been around. The smile faded a little as a certain child came to mind.
Varel had only been one, but she had been so full of life until that life had been taken from her. The young woman blinked and cleared her throat lest she let herself break down. She had to think of other things. "How often do you see her?"

"Not often enough. Probably once every two months or so." He shrugged his shoulders. "The boat she's on has a different waypoint, so I meet up with her at one of the ending points, when the Sungazer is in the same port." "I'm sorry." Eliste offered. She wasn't really sure how the dynamics worked or what was involved, but she knew it must be hard. She felt that Jardon was, at least, a kind and interested father.

"It's what it is," he told her. "The important thing is that Jamora is happy and well cared for. I wish that my family members could spend more time with her, but hopefully at some time that will happen." Eliste wanted to ask more but felt that she really shouldn't pry. She didn't want to bring up bad memories or speak about a sensitive subject. "It's good to see you again." She said softly after a moment, uncertain. "And I'm glad you had a good trip."

"Thank you." He admitted to himself that her words were definitely pleasing to him. "I thought about you while I was gone, hoping that someone had helped you outside so that you could enjoy the sunshine." "Yes." Eliste nodded, glad that she had not been restricted to her quarters during Jardon's absence. "The healer has come a couple of times, and the drudges that check on me from time to time have helped as well."

"Good. As hot as it is, it usually feels much cooler under the trees.
Being indoors would have done you no good, especially in your condition." He paused a moment. "Speaking of which, all goes well?" Eliste nodded slowly. "No problems thus far. The healer said if all continues to go well, he might let me get up and walk around a bit."
The thought of that made her smile. "I hope so. It would be nice to be able to walk further than just a few steps."

He heard her out with a nod. "I don't imagine that type of limitation would be pleasant – at least not for more than a day or so. Were you the very active type before this pregnancy?" "Well, one tends to be active when..." She stopped before finishing the sentence. Varel was not a subject she was sure she wanted to broach - not yet. "When you have a home to keep." Eliste finished, her gaze dropping.

So much about this woman was still a mystery to him and this was not the first time that she had almost seemed on the brink of revealing more about herself. However, he accepted her explanation. "Yes, a home does demand work and time, doesn't it? I assume that your quilting was a way to relax then?" "In some ways." Eliste smiled a little. It had been more than just that, it had been a way to express herself, something she hadn't been able to do much of, especially after her marriage. "I do enjoy it. It has its own kind of stress and work, but it's a good kind."

"Did you make quilts to sell before you came here?" How should she answer that? Eliste had made them, and Helvar had taken them and sold them. She hadn't meant for it to necessarily be that way. She loved to give away what she had made as gifts, but Helvar decided that the marks earned for her work could be put to...better use, though she wouldn't have coined that term for it. "Yes." She said slowly. She hadn't been the one to sell them, but they had been sold. "I'm almost done with my gifts and...I'm working on one that I will eventually sell." Hopefully, anyway. They had sold before, so why wouldn't they now?

He nodded to that. "My grandmother sells many of her quilts, but I think she does it mostly because she enjoys the sense of creating something. My mother was different – the only thing that appealed to her was how much her quilts would bring in. She was much happier baking." "I enjoy creating, so I guess I'm like your grandmother." Yes, it was nice to have the marks for it, but that wasn't the only reason Eliste made them. "Marks don't mean that much to me." Though they were going to mean more now that she was on her own.

"I can't say that they mean much to me either," Jardon told her. "I have enough for my needs, don't need more than that." "Then we have something in common." Eliste said softly, giving Jardon another soft smile.

"It seems we do." He glanced at the position of the sun in the sky and back to her. "Actually, I spoke to the healer on my way here. He said that you should return to your room with enough time to rest before dinner." Eliste nodded slowly. "I am feeling a bit tired, so I will certainly take his advice. Do you mind escorting me?"

The woodcrafter grinned. "I was hoping to do just that."

Last updated on the June 28th 2008

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Something In Common