Never say never... (Millieth's Clutching)

[Tashe]

Millieth groaned unhappily as she shifted her position for the tenth time in three minutes, her belly was aching and the fact that it was so heavy didn't help her breathing be any clearer. It was painful, and that was all the Golden Queen could think about, she knew that the contractions would start soon. /Kaegan...Mine. It hurts... My breath is... coming short./ /You're going to be fine love!/ Moaning again as the pain inside of her increased, Millieth bared her teeth and writhed as a contraction shook her body. Parting her jaws in a silent scream, the clutching female's maternal instincts began to control her train of thoughts, forcing her to begin shifting the sands into a shallow groove so that the first egg would have somewhere to lay.

Pacing back and forth in anxiety, Kaegan was on the verge of an emotional and nervous breakdown. She had never been on the clutching side of a hatching, but she was sure that the signs that her Queen was showing this soon into the process wasn't exactly normal. As she had become weak rather soon into her flight, the Weyrwoman was worried that she would show the same effects before the birthing was over. That would spell disastrous results for all of their lives, and Kaegan wasn't about to loose her Queen or their first clutch anytime soon. If she needed to, the redhead would call upon a dragonhealer to help her Dragon to the best of its abilities. /Hang in there love. We'll get through this, push and breath./

Roaring in pain as the first egg pushed its way out into the world, Millieth panted heavily before piling the sand around the grainy yellow shell. /The first one.../ Wincing slightly as she moved a little ways away as the next contraction hit her, Millieth's eyes grew red as she quickly dug the next groove, painfully waiting for the next egg to arrive. Pushing to help the pain end as soon as dragonly possible, Millieth crouched and gritted her teeth as the next egg dropped onto the sands. Repeating the actions she had taken with the first one, the new mother began warming the light green case.

/Good girl, you are doing great Millieth. Keep pushing, the sooner we get those eggs out the sooner you can rest./ Two eggs had come, as to how many more there were was a complete unknown to the stressed human. Breathing as if she herself was laying the eggs, the Goldrider tried to compose herself for the sake of her Dragon. One of them had to stay calm, and it certainly wasn't going to be Millieth, so it left Kaegan to be the model. /Alright hun, try and breath deeply if you can. We need to be strong and not lightheaded./ Pausing in her quickened pacing to take her own advice, the Junior Weyrwoman looked to the hatching grounds roof. "I wonder if those two will make it soon..." Of course she was talking about the Bronze and his rider who had caused this egg-tastrophy...

[neeuqtar]

Mine, she is Clutching, Rath stated, quite calmly, nudging his rider. We should go to them. Hmm, yes, R'non replied, walking over to his dragon and swinging onto that scarred bronze neck. No straps, of course; they were entirely unnecessary for a short hop such as this, especially for one who had spent so much time in combat training. The great bronze glided to the Hatching Sands, where golden Millieth was Clutching. The rider wasn't sure yet that he appreciated being thrust into the life of a rider of Selenitas--especially one such as he, a killer of dragons for so long. Would they ever truly accept him? It remained to be seen.

Slithering off of Rath, the bronzerider trotted the the Hatching Sands, wincing as Millieth roared in obvious pain. That certainly wasn't right... "Kaegan..?" R'non glanced around the darkened area until his eyes found the young woman. He walked over to her, feeling faintly awkward about it. He was old enough to be her father, at the very least! But Rath seemed to like Millieth--at the very least, he was a proudly protective father, something that had no chance of ever occurring at Benden. "What's wrong with Milleth?" he asked tentatively, as Rath poked his nose into the area, eager and nervous. My queen, is there anything I can do for you? he asked her.

((CRAPPY POST *dies*))

[Requiem]

Jess...please...

The brown was not in the mood for listening to His. It was all Z'hin could do to keep Jessereth away from Rath and Millieth for the time he had. The juvenile had clearly decided he was through with such foolishness. Having taken up vigilance across the river from the hatching grounds, the brown was now on his feet, eyeing Rath venomously. Z'hin leaned against his foreleg, attempting to keep the male in check through the physical contact.

He's hurting her. The man blinked. What? Jess...she's clutching. I can't imagine that feels good. This has nothing to do with Rath. Z'hin was actually fairly annoyed that his brown was forcing him to defend a Benden dragonpair. He would much rather have let Jessereth do whatever the young brown felt like. No, he wasn't necessarily the vindictive sort, but this was a bronze who had come out of hiding, a Benden bronze, and just thinking of him brought back to mind the Benden riders and the blood-soaked meadow. In truth, if he hadn't worried for Jessereth's safety, he'd be encouraging the male's antagonism.

He sired the clutch. The clutch is hurting her. Rath is hurting Millieth. Z'hin rolled his eyes. You're trying to say that if you sired the clutch, she wouldn't be hurting? That's ridiculous. I didn't say that, Jess responded sullenly. He continued to glare at the bronze, but, for now, he didn't act on his desire.

***

Salenth stretched his wings, nudging His as he did so. S'rei glanced up from the diagram he was studying. "Mmmm?" Were you ever going to talk to him? The Weyrleader didn't ask who his bonded was talking about. "I'm busy, and he's good at hiding." That's no excuse. You know where he sleeps. S'rei ran a hand through his hair, squinting out over the river, where several men were working hard to pound the supports into the silt. They'd erected a small dam at the mouth of this particular tributary. I have a pregnant weyrmate and a fosterling, Salenth. She gets annoyed enough that I don't spend more time with her as it is.

That's not the real reason.

Okay. So I don't want to snarl at him. I mean, he hid this long...For all we know, he's been causing half the problems we've had, but I can't very well force him to leave. Not when Rath caught Millieth. I know leaving it this long isn't really the answer, but I don't know what I'm supposed to do. You can start by at least speaking to him. You can keep an eye on him that way. He's older. So? Salenth...Rath was at Benden when we were. They fought in the wars. I have no idea what they're doing here, but he's going to cause trouble for me, even if he doesn't intend to. Shmee's not aware of everything I was involved in. She doesn't know about the defection from Fort, or my advising C'leon. I'm not even sure she knows I was a wingleader at Benden. You should tell her.

S'rei snorted. Yeah. That was a great idea. Tell a pregnant woman, already paranoid beyond belief, that he used to advise the man who tried to kill her? That he'd essentially helped to prolong the northern wars? That was bound to go over well. Then again, Salenth was right. He couldn't just ignore the fact that R'non and Rath were here to stay. Straightening, he glanced toward the Hatching Grounds, where he could make out the form of the bronze quite clearly. "All right. Though I'm not sure this is the best time..."

No time is a good time. Just go.

S'rei took the short distance with deliberation, slipping past Rath with just the smallest glance at the bronze. He paused inside the entrance, not foolish enough to enter onto the sands with a clutching queen. If R'non failed to notice him, it was no skin off his back.

[Tashe]

Snapping at the darkness with her powerful jaws, Millieth was finally able to pass the next egg into the beginning of its outside life. Light red and orange like a fruit, the Queen quickly nosed the sand around the large egg before digging another ditch, the next egg was coming. Thrashing her tail against the sands in pain, the ex-Benden Gold turned to glare at the Bronze pair who had arrived. Hissing at Rath as the second contraction rolled through her back end, Millieth stretched out her neck before placing it on the ground. Letting some weight fall into her front legs, the female made it somewhat easier for the gleaming brown egg to drop into its position in the sand ditch. /UNLESS YOU CAN TRANSFER EGGS.../ Growling as another horrible contraction rippled through her stomach, the Dragon forced herself to continue onto the next ditch. /... THEN THERE ISN'T MUCH YOU CAN DO./ Loud and agitated because of the pain, Millieth made her made voice sound more like a yell than normal.

She /knew/ that the difficult clutching was because of the drugs, although Millieth had been known to be a little weak before, it really showed now. Swinging her head, and then her whole body around, Kaegan watched as the two males arrived with caution. R'non was a few years past twice her age, the fact he was almost as old as her father didn't bother her, it was the fact he was from Benden. Then again, the Junior Weyrwoman had a thing against getting close to any men, but the Bronzerider was turning out to be much kinder than she thought he would be. "Hello R'non." Turning from the man and back to her lifebond, Kaegan tugged on one of her braided runner tails. "Millieth is having trouble passing the eggs... I guess it was to be expected that her health wouldn't be the very best." Looking up at Junior Weyrleader as he approached, his female counterpart began to chew on the side of her smallest nail. "Oh but its so worrisome..."
/Millieth be nice to Rath... He only wants to help./

The Queen allowed her gaze to drift from the large, Bright green Palmtree egg as she finished covering it in sand, unhappily snorting in her Mine's direction. Beginning to pant again as the next casing began to push it's way into the world, Millieth only had time to shoot a somewhat apologetic glance at the sire of her clutch. Another roar erupted as a particularly sharp contraction suck itself in her belly, the Queen began to trade off pushing and breathing. Gritting her dagger like teeth as she helped the egg onto the sands, she began to warm the teal egg. /Sorry./

The golden queen was the only one of the females to notice the three new /male/ watchers...

[neeuqtar]

Rath's eyes flashed red, irked that Millieth would screech at him for something he hadn't done. She was hurt, but it was the eggs her body had made... Be nice, R'non warned. The dragon bowed his head before responding. I can't transfer eggs, but I will keep you company, if you wish, Rath said, surprisingly meekly. The bronzerider glanced at his dragon, but Rath did look genuinely worried about Millieth and her eggs. Great... the great bronze looby had gone and decided to fall for the queen that had gotten them into all this trouble, what with Rising. Though R'non couldn't actually blame her... or Rath, truly. His own fault for not attending to the glow of one of the queens. But there was nothing to do for it now, but try and make the best out of trouble.

"I don't think it will kill her," R'non said, sounding troubled. He jammed his hands into his pockets, watching the drama on the Sands with worry in his eyes. "But it will certainly be painful." The bronzerider shook his head, unhappiness showing on his features. "I guess I don't really have anything comforting to say," he muttered, realizing exactly how snarky he had to sound. "I've never seen a dragon in this much pain before, not like this at least. But I think she'll be alright afterwards..." He sounded far more confident than he actually felt. Truth be told, R'non hadn't been involved in the drugging program with the queen dragons, but the horrible disfigurements in the last drugged Clutch seemed to indicate that it wasn't entirely successful, if at all.

As S'rei strode past Rath, the bronze snorted and turned to watch the human for a moment, before returning those glittering orbs to his queen on the Sands. Possessive, are we? Failing to comfort, are we? the dragon returned snarkily. Touche, R'non grumped at Rath. The dragon houghed softly, the irate sound covered by Millieth's roar of pain. Salenth's is here. Probably for you, the bronze informed R'non, before turning his attention back to Millieth with a low croon. You don't have to apologize. I'm here for you to yell at if you need to, Rath sent to the queen quietly.

"Rath says S'rei is here to see me... I'll risk irking him, though, if you want me here?" R'non lifted one hand to S'rei in an acknowledgment of his presence. It wouldn't do to anger the Selenitas Senior Weyrleader, though it was very awkward to look at the man he had known as a Wingleader and C'leon's advisor, and then learned to speak of as traitor, and retrain himself to think "Weyrleader." That position had been C'leon's for so long... but this was Selenitas, not Benden. Perhaps an old rider could learn new tricks, after all...

[Administrator]

Kaegan needed her today, Shmee thought firmly. She remembered what it was like when Aslath clutched, and it was not pretty. Not to mention that the old man would probably be here, she thought with disgust. She was practically hovering around Kaegan since the Flight, hating the idea that she had slept with such an old guy. Balancing Miguel on her hip, she made her way to the entrance of the sands. She wouldn't go further, of course, but she would try getting Kaegan's attention anyway. Waving over at her, she winced as she looked at Millieth. Already, it looked worse than what Aslath had gone through. "Kaegan," she called out softly, hopefully not loud enough to antagonize the queen. "I know this is hard, watching her go through this, but clutchings take days. Come off the sands and give yourself a rest, love." Bouncing the squirmy Miguel on her hip, she quickly sidled over to S'rei, nudging herself under his arm. Giving R'non a dark look, she didn't mind the fact of how open the expression was. She wasn't exactly being discreet. Her mood though, was improving greatly. Morning sickness was fading away, much to her relief. Her emotions, however, were far from rational.

"We're going to keep the sands closed for Millieth," she told S'rei, not bothering to ask, simply stating her decision. "I don't want people to watch the poor thing clutch... It's one thing if it's normal, but this is too much pain to want an audience for." Once again, she glared at R'non. He was from Benden, therefore it was definitely his fault. Miguel cooed happily, reaching for S'rei. "Bad 'Wei, proddy!" he announced, giggling to himself. Shmee smiled, despite herself. He was such a little sweetheart, even though his word choices weren't always ideal. And she would have one soon! She was keeping it completely under wraps, except for S'rei and Laurie, but it was working for the better. She was being obscenely careful, almost to the point of paranoia, but it had worked, hadn't it? She hadn't miscarried, and things were continuing to run smoothly. Except... S'rei. She wanted to be with him more and more now, but she didn't get to see him as often. He was so busy, and she slept a lot. Was it so wrong to just want to cuddle with him every so often?

Her mood took a rapid spin. Why, he knew she was pregnant, and he didn't give her as much of his time still! The smile faded, and she turned her face up to S'rei's. "We should relax together later," she told him in upmost seriousness, yet her tone was light. If he were to decline, though... Miguel giggled, reaching over and grabbing S'rei's shirt. "My?" he inquired sweetly as Shmee sighed.

It is all right, Millieth,[/color] Aslath told the younger queen gently, trying to reassure her. Then, to Salenth, she said, I hope she will be all right.[/color] Her eyes whirled nervously from where she lay sunning outside of the Hatching Ground. Focusing her attention on Rath, she coldly said, What does business does your rider have, letting you catch her?[/color] she demanded angrily. She hadn't forgiven him. He was a Benden bronze, and an old one. She didn't trust any Northern bronzes; they were the ones with power. She didn't like that down here in Selenitas.[/size]

[Requiem]

He wasn't sure if he should be relieved or annoyed to find that his presence had apparently come to R'non's attention, though he made a small gesture in acknowledgment of the man. There. It looked like the bronzerider was in no hurry to talk to him, which was okay for S'rei. He still wasn't sure what he wanted to say. Millieth didn't look so good, though. The Weyrleader frowned pensively. It almost made him wish Trenlor was still alive, so he could kill him again. Or, rather, so he could kill him, as the dragonhealer had met his death at some unknown assailant's blade. At any rate, it would have been a nice stress reliever, even if it wouldn't have changed any of the facts.

That's a Benden thought, Mine,
Salenth commented, slightly uncomfortable. You'll have to forgive me, but the man caused so much trouble, here and at Benden Weyr. And I suppose that seeing a defected Benden goldpair and a Benden bronzepair of unknown purposes doesn't put me in the most merciful of moods. We were of Benden, once. It is cause for wariness. But perhaps you judge too swiftly. Perhaps. As I recall, though, I received permission to transfer with no strings attached, and then C'leon attempted to assassinate me. So...I'd say the relationship ended with him. It ended the moment Shmee and Aslath returned from Benden the night of the hatching. S'rei considered for a moment. In all likelihood, if he hadn't attempted to pry into the details surrounding that particular event, C'leon wouldn't have initiated the attack. True.

The Weyrleader schooled his face as soon as he saw his weyrmate. Shmee could be remarkably mature at times, but it seemed that went completely out the window when she was pregnant. Nor did he want her as a party to this particular conversation he was about to have. If S'rei was completely honest, he was busy, but he tended to linger over each order of business a little longer than absolutely necessary. Shmee was beginning to drive him up the wall. Not all the time, no, but it was extremely unpredictable, these moods of hers.

Miguel, on the other hand, was quite a welcome sight. S'rei loved this little nephew of his to distraction. As the lad reached out to him, the Weyrleader's hand fell on his head. "What are you teaching him, Shmee?" he asked, amused. Bad Wei proddy? Miguel's chubby hands encircled his uncle's wrists, the babe continuing to coo. Well, at least, once Shmee's pregnancy concluded, they'd have one of their own. That should make up for all the awkwardness now, right?

Now, observant as the Weyrleader tended to be, his mind was rather distracted at the moment, and he hadn't really registered the shift that came over his weyrmate. Actually, he was somewhat preoccupied with Miguel, who had latched onto his shirt. S'rei lifted the babe from Shmee's arms, bringing him up toward one shoulder. Miguel giggled, his legs and arms swinging. He loved being up so high! One small hand curled in his uncle's hair. "Maybe tonight," S'rei responded absently. The wings had yet to drill today, and he wanted to get as much work in on the construction of the piers and bridges before darkness fell. After all, Shmee had Laurie if she needed anything. Surely that was enough?

Salenth glanced over at Aslath. He was keeping an eye on the progress of the building for His, and found himself mildly annoyed to find the queen sunbathing. She never seemed to be busy with anything but worrying. Apparently, that was what females were for, though. Breed. Clutch. Protect the hatchlings, and begin again. Didn't ReiMine say something about Queens only just recently starting to fly Thread? Maybe they should just return to the old ways. Salenth blinked. Shards, but Rei's mood was making him ornery! I wouldn't worry. The others didn't die. Eh. Apparently ReiMine's tactlessness was wearing off, too. Salenth returned his attention to the work at hand, mildly embarrassed at his own bumbling.

[Tashe]

"I have a feeling she'll be groaning about it for a while. I just hope she doesn't get too tired..." Watching as Millieth seemed to calm down, Kaegan stopped pacing to crack her knuckles. The first birthing was always the hardest to endure, since neither of the females had eve been pregnant before, they just didn't know how to deal with it. Hopefully the next time they'll have better luck in the pain category, but for now it they could only wait for the end. Blinking slightly as R'non spoke again, Kaegan turned her eyes to near the entrance of the sands, her eyes immediately picking up the form of her Weyrleader. She had been in the dimmed cavern for such a long time that her eyes had adjusted to seeing in it. "I'd rather you not irk him. He isn't a very happy man sometimes... though you are welcome to stay if you don't want to deal with him right now." Waving slightly to S'rei as he drew to a stop, the Junior Weyrwoman turned her attention back to her Dragon.

/Hmph./ Pressing her head into the sands to rest while standing up, Millieth coughed as another ripple of contraction hit her form. It wasn't fair that she had to be the one in so much pain, why couldn't she and Her mine been Impressed at Fort, or even Selenitas. At least those two hadn't been experimenting with the hateful drugs that affected the health of her body... and Fort was the lesser of the two evils in her eyes. /Shaaards./ Cursing in a general broadcast to her Mine and Rath, the Golden Queen rocked slightly as she felt the next egg worming its way nearer to the closest exit.

Looking from Millieth and back to the Weyrleader, Kaegan was surprised to see the Senior Weyrwoman waving at her. Perking her ears to listen to what she had to say, it took a moment to fully understand her. Days? It could take days? Millieth surely couldn't go on like this for days at a time, it would tire her out much to quickly. Quietly slinking her way over to Shmee, the younger Goldrider smiled slightly when she reached her. "I don't think I'd be able to drag myself away from here. Even if I could I wouldn't be able to sleep at all." Nodding to S'rei as Shmee moved closer to him, Kaegan remained a small distance away and watched the Weyrwoman's face scowl slightly. She had to be thinking about R'non, and there was a small part of Kaegan that wished the Weyrleaders could see past the Bronzerider's appearance.

Switching her gaze from the humans who had appeared to the approximate position where Aslath could be, Millieth responded trying to cut a little edge out of her speech. /I hope so... Shards it hurts a lot./ Retracting her attention as a large, greenish blue egg dropped onto the sands, the Queen began to tend to her shell encased child.

[neeuqtar]

"No, I will see what he wants," R'non said softly, giving her a half-bow before turning and walking over to S'rei, as Shmee called out to Kaegan. The bronzerider was nervous, and rightfully so; S'rei hadn't really spoken to him since the Flight, and R'non had expected a Wingleader of Benden to, well, remain a Wingleader somewhere inside of them forever. But S'rei hadn't forced him out, or even interrogated him. It felt almost as if... S'rei had ignored him. And that was certainly an uncomfortable feeling. Being ignored at Benden was usually a good thing, but he'd seen how people at Selenitas acted. They were, if not strictly close to, at least friendly with their leaders, and with each other. Being ignored was to be ostracized, and while that was more or less what he had expected in a best-case scenario, it still, well, hurt. If C'leon's advisor could change... why not he?

"Weyrleader, Weyrwoman," he greeted the duo respectfully, inclining his head to recognize them. With C'leon, he would have bowed... would that be too servile? Or would they take his lack of such a greeting as rudeness? R'non was on such uncertain ground here, that he constantly worried about what everyone would think with every motion. He knew he came off as supercilious, cold, and perhaps even arrogant, but it was more that he simply didn't know how to act. Everything in Benden had been clear: do everything you can to make C'leon and his queens overlook you, see you as just another rider, and everything will be fine. Here, it was murky, and R'non felt like he was running blind through a maze of spikes. Uncomfortable, dangerous, and all to easy to trip and die...

"My Rath told me you had come, perhaps to speak to me? Or is it for Kaegan you come?" He nodded to the girl as she come to greet Shmee. "I should have thought--I will bring you something to eat, and a bedroll if you desire one, Kaegan," R'non said, turning for a moment to the young girl. Odd, he felt surprisingly protective of her, and not just because he found her attractive. She was very young, and still naive, despite her time in Benden. Perhaps it was Rath's feelings for Millieth that were affecting him... but it could very well have been long-suppressed instincts. Protect. Defend.

Shards, this is complicated. Have I mentioned that this was a foolish plan? R'non complained to his bronze. Once or twice, the dragon replied, absently. If you need anything, tell me and I will do it, Rath told Millieth after a moment, a deep-throated croon low enough to be felt more than heard rumbling in his chest. He truly did like the young queen, despite the vast difference in age... and she held his children within her, and around her. He would do anything for her...

[Administrator]

Shmee chuckled. "He's been learning them from your sister," she replied in amusement. Miguel really loved the word 'proddy,' but at the moment, Shmee never really thought about it. She was too busy wallowing in her own sorrow. Whenever she was S'rei, he was never around. This was so upsetting her. She was carrying his child, but he seemed to have abandoned her since he found out. Maybe he was angry with her for getting pregnant. But it was his fault, too! Getting increasingly frustrated with him, she felt the steam start building up. He never had time for her! She was pregnant. She needed his company! Considering the option of telling Lauranna about her little brother's cruel behavior, she clenched her knuckles. She slept a lot lately, so he was always up and gone by the time she was awake, and usually asleep by the time he got back. She missed him. Where was the S'rei who would get excited about a babe, the one who would flirt with her on the gather square with the cream of bubbly pies?

Managing to keep her expression under control, he certainly wasn't helpful. What did he mean, maybe later. "What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded. He wasn't even paying attention to her! She was becoming extra baggage to him, and he was just abandoning her! Aslath, sensing danger, immediately bespoke Salenth. ShMine is on the warpath. She's angry S'rei isn't paying attention to her...[/color] She said this mildly, trying to send waves of love to her rider. Shmee, however, was unyielding. "Rei, you do know you've barely done so much as say hello to me the past couple weeks," she told him, her voice only just barely remaining under control. Sure, she was exaggerating, but bringing this up might bring about disaster. She scowled.

Fortunately for S'rei, whatever she was about to say next was interrupted by Kaegan. Immediately, without a further word or explanation, she pulled the girl's shoulders over to her. "I understand," she told her sympathetically. Not letting go over her, she wrapped one arm around her. She didn't want her to be too near R'non. He was a creepy old man, and Shmee's paranoia was very high. Anyone from Benden was not to be trusted, and Shmee was very protective of not only her pregnancy and her Weyr, but now of Kaegan. Giving R'non another glare, she continued on with forced cheer, but hushed her tone so the other bronzer wouldn't hear. "So, where's he living?" she asked casually, trying to figure out if he was moving in with her. R'non could be either way, but Shmee's spying own ineffective.

Aslath crooned to Millieth. Just take lots of deep breaths. If you get hungry, make Rath fetch you a herdbeast. You might need it,[/color] she told the younger queen. Don't worry, once the clutch is done, all will be well. That I can promise.[/color] Well, she wasn't sure how exactly the clutch would be, but Millieth would be fine... Bringing her attention to Rath, she prodded him mentally. I just asked you a question,[/color] she told him coldly. Are you going to answer it?[/color][/size]

[Requiem]

S'rei's attention was quite effectively divided in three directions. Miguel apparently had decided that it was fun to try to bounce right out of his uncle's grip, but he refused to release S'rei's hair, so the man was attempting to loosen the fingers while still holding on to the energetic bundle. He hadn't found it at all strange to learn that the boy's words had been learned from Laurie, but the Weyrleader wasn't quite expecting Shmee's grumpiness. His gaze flicked to R'non as the bronzerider approached, and he felt a weariness begin to settle upon him. Was it too late to simply turn around and walk off somewhere with his nephew?

In front of him, a man twenty turns his senior, heretofore concealing his identity and his dragon from the weyr until the gold Flight flushed them out. No, he wasn't the sort to write someone off immediately, but anyone in his situation couldn't help but see the same issue. It didn't look good for R'non. No matter what perspective you came at it from, there was no getting past the fact that this man had hidden himself, effectively deceiving everyone within Selenitas. With all that had happened recently? S'rei's tolerance for deception was at an all-time low.

Nor was his mood improved by the harpy at his elbow. Shmee knew he wasn't neglecting her. What was he supposed to do? Forget the wings, forget Benden's attack, forget the vulnerability of the weyr to fire due to its position in the trees? Was he supposed to put all of them in more danger than they were already in because she thought she needed someone to hold her hand every second of every day? S'rei was doing what he could. He couldn't help that she seemed to be asleep whenever he came in, and that she slept past the breaking morn. When Miguel fussed, it was S'rei who saw to him. He'd given Laurie leave from the majority of the wingtraining so she could be there to help his weyrmate. When it came right down to it, Shmee had far more free time than him. If she wanted his company, it wouldn't be hard to find him.

No, the Weyrleader's lightness from the first pregnancy was absent. He had a lot more worries now than he did then, though, and his work was beginning to wear on him. S'rei could hardly be expected to handle everything with a smile and a laugh, could he?

Fortunately, Kaegan arrived to distract Shmee, or the Weyrwoman might have succeeded in drawing S'rei into an argument, right there on the hatching sands. He smiled wearily at the younger woman. "Yes," the man finally said, although R'non's address had come some time ago. "We should speak. Shmee will look after Kaegan." He glanced down at Shmee, having finally settled Miguel against his chest. The tot was now looking over his uncle's shoulder and pointing at a particularly pretty green in the near-distance. "I'll drop Miguel off at the weyr once we're done." It was almost an acquiescence. He wouldn't have time to linger, but, if they were bound to have this conversation eventually, he'd rather have it in private. The Weyrleader didn't need Shmee screeching at him less than a hundred yards from the clutching Millieth.

Indicating the path outside with a nod of his head, S'rei began to walk toward the main hall. Might as well get something for Kaegan as the excuse for their departure. This conversation was best spoken in private, as well. His pace was distinctly unhurried. Once out of earshot of the women, S'rei began quietly, "R'non and Rath. You had a - glowing - reputation. Though curiously not ostentatious." He cast the older man a humorless smile. "You'll have to forgive me, but Selenitas tends to be more open to transfers who decide to make their presence known through more - traditional - ways."

" 'Ritional!" S'rei's smile turned genuine at that. Miguel grinned at the two men, obviously proud of himself for 'learning' the new word. The Weyrleader hadn't decided to trust R'non. He had, however, been observant enough to note that Kaegan didn't seem afraid of the man, and Kaegan struck S'rei as the skittish sort. If there was any reason for her to be afraid of the bronzerider that she could see, she would have been. It was one mark in R'non's favor.

"Perhaps now would be a good time to explain why you hid yourselves for so long. After the recent happenings here...I can't say it was wise to suddenly appear out of nowhere. It will take more than just a little effort to earn the trust of the Selenitas dragonriders."

[Tashe]

Wincing as Millieth snarled unhappily Kaegan smiled slightly at R'non, he had been nice enough so far, which for a Benden rider was somewhat promising. "If you don't mind R'non, that would really be helpful." As the young goldrider watched her lifebond wriggle slightly, she didn't notice Shmee reach out until she felt her hands on her shoulders. Giving a small squeak as her Senior Weyrwoman drew her in with no warning, Kaegan obediently stepped forward so as to not fall. It was good to hear that Shmee understood her wanting to stay with Millieth, since she hadn't exactly wanted to debate why she should be allowed to stay. Smiling at the Goldrider again, Kaegan leaned in closer to her, listening to her hushed words. "He's living in one of the large singles. We both thought that that would be the best plan." Nodding softly to herself, the young woman watched as the two men left, returning the Weyrleader's smile. Although any idea of Shmee being pregnant slipped by her like a leaf in a stream, Kaegan had been around the Weyrwoman long enough to pick up on some of her moods. It really had been a good idea to speak to Shmee when she did.

/If I can find my breath I'll do just that./ Adjusting the sands around a glittering blue egg, Millieth cooed to it proudly before moving off to the edge of the current clutch. Through the pain of birthing, the Gold bonded with her growing children, she was their mother... and they were her babies. Slowly digging out another pit, Millieth huffed slightly as she positioned her self over it. At least this egg caused her only a small amount of pain, compared to the other contractions that is, giving her a short break from the energy draining pain. Shifting around to face the egg, the tired Queen began to preform the motherly duties that had welled up inside her from the beginning of the clutching. /I hope this all ends when I am done.../

[neeuqtar]

"Will do," R'non replied to Kaegan, giving her a half-bow before turning to walk off the Sands with S'rei. Ah, now for perhaps the most uncomfortable conversation of his entire life. They walked in silence until out of earshot of the two women. Shmee was acting even crazier than usual, which led the man to suspect either extreme stress--entirely possible--or perhaps... a second pregnancy. Hmm... he'd have to keep an eye out for anyone else like Trenlor. Given his extremely obvious position and the distrust with which the dragonriders held him, R'non wouldn't have been surprised if the actions of some Benden spy were ascribed to him.

At least, that's what C'leon would have done... or any of his Wingleaders. And S'rei, no matter what else he was, had been a Benden Wingleader. R'non trusted the man about as much as he trusted any other Benden rider (including himself), which was about as far as he could read their minds. One never could tell when some bit of training, a line of propaganda, still lurked deep in the subconscious. The bronzerider did not fault Selenitas at all for suspecting him... it was still uncomfortable to be the object of such scrutiny, especially when he wanted to hide for the rest of his life.

"To be truthful, Weyrleader," R'non started, once he was sure S'rei was finished, "I had no intention of ever revealing my presence. C'leon does not permit transfers--ever. Only those who flee him ever escape, and, well you know how he thinks. It does not matter how far we flee, how insignificant we seem, C'leon will never allow a single rider to escape his grasp." The bronzerider sighed, jamming his hands deeper into his pockets, shoulders flung backwards in a subconscious posture, trained for ages: I'm relaxed, but don't think I'm ignoring you...

"I can't say I truly blame Rath for Chasing Millieth... I had forbidden him to reveal himself, and he did it anyway." A note of anger crept into his voice, then vanished again, in resignation, and perhaps regret. "I just wanted to live the rest of my life in peace for once, and ignore this sharding stupid war. There's not a single dragon or rider in this whole Weyr who wants R'non of Rath here, acclaimed dragon-slayer and longtime Benden-rider." He fell silent, eyes darkening. The man looked almost broody, as if the fight had gone out of him. "I know I do not misjudge when I say I am well known... even infamous. I would have been happy to live out the rest of my life here, just as Ram, selling trinkets and moving from place to place. Rath might even have been happy... he's dulled to death, but no dragon likes killing."

"Well... maybe Mosrath," he amended after a heavy pause. "But not the others. They do what they are told... like I did." Unspoken were the words, almost accusing, "like you did." But R'non didn't say them, only walked and waited for S'rei's words.

---

I was thinking, my queen. It has been but a moment... Rath sighed at Aslath. R'non-mine didn't "let" me do anything. He told me not to... but I did anyway. Do you truly expect a bronze to remain on the ground when a queen calls? he asked, almost plaintively. He didn't like getting scolded by queens--in general, that led to pain and extra sweeps, which meant more pain. And sometimes, for some dragons, worse than pain. Huffing, Rath turned his head over his shoulder, as if he could stare through stone to stare at the Senior Queen.

Be polite, Rath, came the irked reminder.
Yes, Mine, the dragon sighed back. It was going to be a long Clutching...

[Administrator]

A shadow crossed over Shmee's face. She was not happy. Not happy at all. He was blowing her off so obviously, and a mixture of anger and grief came over her. He didn't seem to care. Didn't he care that his weyrmate was pregnant with his babe? What about the fact that she was still guilty and and scared about this because of her miscarriage? He certainly wasn't there to comfort her! Laurie wasn't the comforting type, either... She felt so alone. He could probably comfort himself with the fact that he was doing other things that could help her, but didn't it occur to him just once that his company would do her so much more good at bringing her comfort? Looking down unhappily, she folded her arms nervously. He truly didn't care, she realized. She was just a decoration at his arm. She would bet he truly didn't want this babe. Getting more and more depressed at the thought, she stared off at him as he walked away with R'non and Miguel. How could he give their fosterling so much love and affection and completely brush her aside? She was indignant and hurt.

Slowly looking back down at Kaegan, she was torn. Part of her wanted to chase after S'rei and hit him, and another part of her wanted to just run away somewhere where she wouldn't have to look at him, but she knew she needed to be here for Kaegan. She gritted her teeth nervously, trying to still appear to be the strong one. It did, however, relieve her to know that R'non wasn't living with her. She might've had to say something not very nice if he had chosen to live with her. "I agree," she replied absently, her gaze flickering back up to where the men disappeared. She wanted to test S'rei's devotion, somehow, she decided. Well, if he never found her again, that probably wouldn't be a bad thing, either. At least she would know the truth. Thoroughly unhappy now, Shmee blinked slowly. "Unless there's anything else you need, I think I'm going to go. Is that all right?" she asked the girl, trying to keep her sadness from her voice.

Yes, use your male. That's what they're there for,[/color] Aslath encouraged Millieth. Especially when it was an ungrateful, stupid old bronze like Rath. Growling as she refocused her attention on him. Do not use that tone with me,[/color] she told him sharply. You are not in Benden anymore. Do not think you have the right to talk to a queen like that. Not that you ever did to begin with.[/color] This bronze certainly wasn't making her happy. It also probably didn't help that Shmee was continuing to work herself up.

Giving Kaegan a final reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, she strode out of the Hatching Ground, going straight to Aslath. The queen grumbled. You're being rash, mine,[/color] she told her rider. Shmee ignored the comment, climbing onto the dragon's back. She wouldn't go between-- she didn't want to lose another babe, after all-- but she needed to go somewhere. Away from her stupid weyrmate. But somewhere comfortable and nice... The beach. "I'll spoil you once we're there, I promise," she told her, climbing onto her back. Leading the queen down to her weyr first, she hopped off for a moment, pushing some oils and sweetsands into a bag, as well as some food for herself. Looking down one last time with a hard expression, she turned straight back to Aslath. A remote beach on the southern coast seemed perfect. Away from S'rei, away from the Weyr, away from responsibility... she would live there the rest of her life if she had to. She did not want to think about anyone else right now.[/size]

[Requiem]

In all honesty, S'rei was having difficulty focusing on R'non's words. Shmee was absolutely hormonal, and mildly insane because of it. No doubts there. Still, he wasn't helping things, he supposed. They'd practically been attached at the hip throughout her first pregnancy. Circumstances had changed, but he doubted she would have forgotten, and that must make it seem like he was being distant. If nothing else, he had to work it out with the mother of his child, or thoughts of her would keep intruding into things he really should be paying more attention to. The Weyrleader blinked, recalling R'non's words to the surface of his mind. He frowned mildly.

As far as excuses went, that one was pretty weak. Yes, bronzes were compelled to chase. He wouldn't argue that point. But why, if R'non was worried about being discovered and determined to hide forever, would the dragonrider decide to set up shop in a weyr? No, there was something else going on here. All the bronzerider had managed to do with that explanation was make S'rei even more suspicious. Needless to say, he had no intention of putting R'non at the head of anything that mattered - nor allowing him in on any plans for Selenitas unless absolutely necessary. Then again, he doubted he would have done so regardless of what R'non might have said.

And this man certainly seemed determined to bring up S'rei's involvement with Benden. Definitely not the best way to get on the Weyrleader's good side. S'rei had been rather lost at that time in his life. He and Salenth were still struggling to fully restore their bond, and his amnesia was pretty strong. He wasn't about to defend himself, though. There was no need. R'non knew that S'rei hadn't fought in the wars for Benden - he'd been installed as a Wingleader expressly to flame Thread - and the older bronzerider surely had his reasons for not choosing to acknowledge it. Besides which, there was no denying that he had fought in the wars before coming to Benden, and that he'd held C'leon's ear for turns. He was just as guilty as any of the others, if not more so. It was something he had to live with.

Miguel tugged at S'rei's ear. It was a testament to the man's pensive mood that he didn't seem to notice. The Weyrleader suddenly smiled tightly. "C'leon does whatever serves his purpose." He'd allowed S'rei's transfer, after all...the reasoning behind that was as of yet unclear. He may have intended to have S'rei killed from the start. Or not. Sometimes it was hard to tell with the Benden Weyrleader. Regardless, he was fairly certain that hadn't worked out quite as his rival planned. "Dragons, too, do what they're trained, and respond to how their bonded views the situation. There are plenty amongst the northern weyrs that love to kill."

Shards, there was a whole wing of Benden dragonriders used specifically for that purpose - because they were so bloodthirsty they could hardly be controlled or trusted to do anything else. "Even after seven turns, I find myself enjoying the fight, at least a part of me. Once a man tastes blood..." He shrugged. Nigttime thoughts. They had no place under the sun. S'rei could have been more direct and simply called R'non a baldfaced liar, but he might - at a much later point - actually want to use the man for something. The Main Hall was coming up before them.

S'rei didn't know how much further he wanted to pursue this conversation. Thus far, he simply found his suspicions hadn't abated. In fact, his wariness had increased. If this man was here to do any harm to Selenitas, he was a fairly decent actor. Not perfect. Hardly. If he had been, he'd be still more suspicious. Time would be the only true indicator. The Weyrleader felt his mind drifting back to Shmee. He'd have to make sure that she didn't try to shake the dragonriders he'd assign to guard her.

Have you checked in with Mellenth and Kelth lately? he questioned Salenth, disquieted. Their riders went to catch a bite, since Shmee and Aslath decided to come to Millieth's Hatching. They'll report in as soon as they meet back up with her. Well enough.

"You seem to be doing all right by Kaegan," S'rei observed. If R'non chose to speak of his relationship with the girl, well enough. It might give the Weyrleader more information. Otherwise...well, he didn't really mind. He was getting anxious to return to his work. As soon as they'd returned to the hatching grounds with Kaegan's food, S'rei would take his leave.