How's My Little Girl?

Writers: AL, Devin
Date Posted: 25th May 2014

Characters: Briata, N'vanik
Description: N'vanik visits his daughter at Briata's weyr.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 7, day 7 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: Rhosyn, Y'gel, Cosani, Talryne, R'sedel, D'hol, Jeyme

Briata

N'vanik

N'vanik got directions from a helpful drudge and made it to Briata and
Y'gel's shared weyr. This place was going to get very familiar. He
knocked and shifted the little bundle of gifts he'd brought.

"Come in!" Briata had just finished nursing the infant so she was
quiet and slowly drifting off to sleep. Brigel played on the floor,
his fingers digging into the new rug Briata had appropriated from a
store room. It was made of cloth twisted and sewn together, a lovely
textured item for little hands to run across. He alternated between
'scratching' at the rug and gnawing on the smooth, carved wooden
dragon. The poor thing was full of teeth marks.

N'vanik's entry was greeted with a smile. "I was wondering when you'd come by."

"As soon as I could. How's my little girl?"

"She's doing wonderfully. Her belly is full and she's falling asleep.
Would you like to hold her?" Briata tilted her arms just enough to
allow a better view of the babe.

N'vanik set the small carisak of gifts on a nearby table. "Yeah." He
reached for her and lifted her gently away from Briata. He was still
worried he'd do it wrong, or somehow drop her. Tucking the girl
against his chest, he smiled down at her. "Hi there little Nisha."

"Just make sure her head is supported." Briata remained hands off,
though she offered her verbal advice. Though it was obvious he was
not used to holding babies, she couldn't help but smile at the tender
way he cradled her against him. The child grunted softly, as if in
answer, though her eyes fully closed, oblivious to the large
dragonrider who had taken her.

N'vanik adjusted to give the baby more support. "Would you mind if I
took her to Dolphin Cove sometimes? When she's a little older and safe
to travel?" He wanted extra time with her, and he also wanted Tal and
Cosani to meet her. It would be easier and less awkward to take
Nisheyl there than to make either of them come here. Especially Tal.

"That's going to have to get approval from Rhosyn as much as me. It
also depends on how old. If she's nursing, I'll have to come along."
Babies didn't go all day without nursing until they were far over than
the child was now. Even Brigel who had been introduced to solids
still took most of his nourishment from his mother.

"Rhosyn said it was up to you. I didn't think about the nursing
thing." He frowned. "It's hard to have her so far away." This was his
chance to do things right, he'd have to find a way to make it work.

"You know, as long as Rhosyn's okay with it, you're welcome to visit
her any time." Just as it had heartened Briata to see Rhosyn's
connection with the child, it was also lovely to see the father's
desire to be with his daughter. "And time will go by more quickly
than you might expect."

"I'm sure it will." He brushed a finger against Nisheyl's face, gently
so he wouldn't wake her. "I'm glad she's with you and Y'gel. She'll
know she's loved. Did Rhosyn tell you about Cosani?"

"Cosani?" Briata canted her head to the side as she regarded the
tender way he caressed his daughter. "No, she's said nothing about a
Cosani."

"She's my daughter. I didn't know anything about her until she showed
up one day. She was raised in a Hold and... she had it rough."
Sometimes he had an urge to go beat her grandfather senseless for the
things he said to her. "That's why it's so important to me that Nisha
never goes through that. That she never feels unwanted or unloved."
And then there was what his own father had done to him.

"That's good to hear. Don't worry, she's surrounded by those who love
her, by her birth parents and her foster ones as well." Briata had no
plans to raise Nisha any other way.

"Hard to go wrong with three fathers and two mothers." He smiled.
"That's a benefit of being raised in a Weyr."

"Yes, I suppose that is a benefit." Not that it wasn't a similar case
in the Holds. At least in her father's Hold, while children had
mothers and fathers, everyone always looked out for each other.
Briata decided not to push the fact, though. "So this is your second
child?" Possibly. From what she understood, Rhosyn wasn't sure who
the father really was.

"Yes. Though I'm not sure she_is_ mine, I've decided to consider her
mine anyway." Not that he would deny K'sedel. He would share as long
as K'sedel wanted to be involved. Besides, the man was here, not on
the other side of the world. "And I might be having a third." Now
_that_ was a big sharding mess.

"A third? Congratulations." Briata's lips tilted upward a little
more. "Soon you'll be surrounded by children. When is that baby
due?"

"Not for a while. She got pregnant about a month ago." He made a face.
"She has a weyrmate. It's a flight baby if it is mine. I do love
Weyrlife but I have to admit relationships get complicated sometimes."

Yes, yes they could indeed. While Briata had thought her own
relationships complicated, they were nothing compared to that of
others. Flights made things even more so. "Well, I hope that your
children will bring you much joy." It was a better response than any
sort of commentary she could make on Weyrs and relationships.

There were much happier things to think about than the problem with
D'hol, and N'vanik was holding one of them. "Thanks. And same to you.
I'm glad Nisha will have a foster brother to play with."

Last updated on the May 28th 2014

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How's My Little Girl?