It's Been a Long Time

Writers: AL, Jane
Date Posted: 3rd October 2014

Characters: Briata, T'vanen
Description: An old friend visits River Bluff Weyr and meets up with Briata.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 9, day 17 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: Rhosyn, Y'gel, Nisheyl, Brigel, B'lamick

Briata

"Now why don't they have women that look like that at home?" a young bluerider
asked his bronzerider companion and looked on in surprise as the other young man
abandoned him and trotted across the dining cavern toward the woman.

"_Briata!_"

The sound of her name stopped Briata in her tracks and she turned as her hands
fiddled with the strap of one of her two baby carriers. Although it was common
to see her traipsing around the Weyr in her double wrap, a baby on her front and
a baby on her back, she occasionally had to twist or untwist the straps,
especially after a long while. The sight of a form that had once been quite
familiar came into focus and immediately her face lit up with a smile.
"T'vanen!" She waved, then dropped her hand as he drew near. "My goodness, it's
been a long time. How are you?"

"I'm fine. Perfectly fine but not as fine as you," he said, indicating the babes
either side of her body in surprised delight. "Two!"

The smile upon her face twitched with amusement and she nodded. "One by birth."
She indicated the boy upon her back who gazed at the dragonrider in silence.
"And one as a foster. This is Weyrwoman Rhosyn's baby."

"Congratulations on your boy." He leaned forward and added in an undertone: "You
always wanted a family, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did." It was one reason why Briata had never felt called to Stand and
try to Impress. This, the children, it was fulfilling and satisfied her greatly.
Of all the jobs, this was the most important - at the very least as important as
dragonrider. "It's been so long. What happened with you?"

"After I was transferred up North?" He tilted his head and considered the
question, mentally reviewing the last few Turns. "Nothing," he said in surprise.
"Nothing like - you know - when I took you away from the Hold." He remembered
the trouble he'd been in for bringing the Lady Warder away from her husband and
Hold and hoped that that wouldn't turn out to be the only noteworthy thing he
had ever done.

Briata's mouth tickled into another smile. "I see. So rather boring then? I'm
used to it now, as you can probably tell since I now reside here." Her own life
would have been deemed as 'exciting', though some of the events weren't exactly
happy. "I dare say it's good to see you - are you just visiting?"

"Yes, just waiting on some papers that are being prepared and shepherding a
youngster around some of the Southern Weyrs." He looked askance at the two
babies. "They look a bit heavy. Could I - er - hold one for you and we get a
klah or something?"

"Oh, they're not too bad, and the wrap bears a lot of the weight as well. Having
two of them actually helps balance it a it." Briata's right hand reached up to
gently clasp the tiny one of the girl's, whose fingers curled around one of her
foster mother's. "I would love to get something to drink. If you want to join me
in my and my weyrmate's weyr, we can let the little ones play while we talk." As
much as children their ages played anyway.

"Well, if he wouldn't mind. You know, people sometimes get funny ideas, don't they?"

"Y'gel's not like that." Briata assured him. At one point, she probably _would_
have insisted that they not go to her weyr, but things were different now. "We
could also go to the creche, but there are more women and children there so I
thought my weyr might be better." Briata often spent time there, but she didn't
limit herself or the children to just those interactions.

"Your weyr sounds best," T'vanen agreed hurriedly. There was nothing wrong with
a few babies and children but when they were in groups they tended to be
overpowering.

"All right, follow me." Briata turned to continue down the hallway, casting
glances at the rider from time to time. How long had it been since she'd last
seen him? Far too long, that was for certain and she regretted not keeping in
touch. "So how have you liked the change?"

"A new Weyr? Well, it's been interesting. When they known you since birth
there's - I don't know. Acceptance? Tolerance? Tolerance, probably, for your
idiot ways. _My_ idiot ways, you understand. And at a new place it's not like
that." He grimaced in memory. "I've been in a bit of trouble. Just little stuff.
Foolish things." He remembered how easy it had been to be flying in the wings of
his native Weyr and sighed.

"What sort of things?" They wouldn't have long to walk, for they'd run into each
other not far from the dragon infirmary and her and Y'gel's weyr was close by to
allow him easy and quick access to it. "What sort of trouble?"

"Being late for meetings and not reporting things I noticed happening in the
wing. I'm getting the 'great things are expected from you' lecture a lot." He
shrugged. "Being a bronzerider and all."

"Hm." They arrived at the weyr door at least and Briata opened it, then ushered
T'vanen inside. Once that door was safely closed behind them, Briata unwrapped
Nisheyl from her front and placed her on a blanket that seemed to have taken up
semi-permanent residence in the main room. Brigel was removed next and he made a
beeline for the small table in order to pull himself up and offer a toothy grin
to the visitor. Briata gathered a few toys and put them just within reach of the
boy, then offered something to Nisheyl before she crossed over to a sideboard
and began to pull out a tea kettle, tea cups, and various items necessary for a
proper spot of tea - or klah in that case. "Why have you been late? Has
something been keeping you?"

"I'm just a bit disorganised. Can't find things, usual sort of stuff." He was
looked around the rider's quarters with interest. "How long have you and Y'gel
been weyrmates?"

"We'll have our first anniversary in the twelfth month." Briata fiddled with the
kettle and some water, then put it on the fire to warm. While they waited, she
placed the cups upon the little table. Brigel immediately grabbed one, but as
they were made from metal, his mother seemed rather unconcerned - indeed, she
must have known he'd take one for there were still two cups left. "Do you need
some help with organising?"

"Well, I suppose I must do, though my mother says something it comes with age."
T'vanen wasn't sure that was possible but his mother was older so perhaps she
knew from experience. He smiled at the older babe. "Is he Y'gel's?"

"Yes, yes he is." He might have been B'lamick's but Briata had not conceived
with him. In a way, Briata wished she'd had, but then she might not have
conceived Brigel and that was unthinkable. Briata loved Y'gel with all her
heart, but she'd loved B'lamick too and she wished she had more than a few small
trinkets in memory of him. The boy turned his gaze to the bronzerider and
babbled incoherently. "He's going to be walking before I know it." Perhaps she
and Y'gel would have another, though nothing had yet to happen. In time, she
supposed. "So have you settled with anyone since you left?"

"Sort of, but it didn't work out. Like you and - you know. She wanted to be in
more than one relationship at a time." He shrugged. "Wasn't even a rider." He
had grown up in a family where none of the children had the same father but his
mother had been very firm about what was good manners in relationships and what
was _not_. Now he was an adult he found himself agreeing with her.

Briata nodded slowly. It wasn't an uncommon point of view at the Weyr. Although
she'd been at River Bluff for some time now, Briata knew she'd never be able to
accept such a situation and was grateful that Y'gel was a one woman man. "I'm
sorry you had to go through with that. She obviously didn't deserve you."

T'vanen looked almost embarrassed at her assertion, as well as proud that she
thought well enough of him to take his part. The kettle started to sing and the
young bronzerider glanced at the babies and Briata. "Would you like me to make
the klah? I'll be careful around them."

"You're my guest, such a thing is my duty." Briata shook her head as she plucked
a hot pad to allow her to remove the kettle safely from the fire. "It's a shame
you haven't visited before. Perhaps we'll see more of you after this?"

"Well, I suppose I could come back. It just seems like clinging on, after a
transfer. To keep running back home. But I don't suppose it matters now. I'm
settled in my new Weyr."

"You should stay where you are happiest." For Briata, she'd both suffered and
gained in her time at the Weyr. Despite that, she would not leave. River Bluff
was her home. Y'gel was her home. "But it would be nice to keep in better touch."

T'vanen nodded, smiling at the thought. This chance meeting had reminded him of
his long-ago friendship with Briata. "I'd like that too," he admitted.

Last updated on the October 19th 2014

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It's Been a Long Time