Endless Appetites (Kali, etc.)

[kysseh]

Early as it was in the evening, the amount of activity in the weyr surprised K'von. Perhaps it was that he normally kept himself so busy that the man rarely realized just how loud the weyr could be at times. The faint sound of dragon calls and human yells drifted in from outside, evoking some happy and painful memories that brought a smile to the brownrider's face as he arranged the furs. Ahh, weyrling lessons. How he did not miss those days, even if they had been mildly more carefree. Things were easier then, even when working around Dohulth's issues. He was Benden, Dohulth was Benden, they did their patrols and showed the appropriate pride in their weyr, and he had been happy. Then that shardblasting war had started, and everything had fallen to pieces. All to pieces.

But... those were thoughts for other times. Now was a rather happier time in K'von's life, and this made him unwilling to dwell on disturbing thoughts, even as the images continued to surface in his dreams and mock him. No. No. His happiness would not be ruined.

Dohulth seemed to rumble sleepily in agreement with that, and K'von chuckled as he glanced toward the dragon's half of the weyr, amused by the way the brown just curled up tighter on his couch. Apparently, the dragon was not to be bothered much by K'von's own dark thoughts, and K'von opted to leave the beast to his lazing. Dohulth had not slept since that morning, while K'von had enjoyed a decent nap that afternoon. After spending the morning bathing and oiling the brown, who--despite being rather small for his color--was large enough to make the process seemingly interminable, the man had dragged himself back to his furs for a long nap that took far longer than seemingly necessary. After popping his still-tired self out of bed a mere candlemark before, he had hauled himself to the kitchens to requisition as much food as he could safely carry. Now he was back in his bed with the furs happily settled, his tray of food sitting right in front of him. Yum.

His happiness did have a certain hole in it, though, and the brownrider scowled lightly in the direction of the doorway into his weyr. Kalierre was not back yet. He had told Dohulth to prod Phremath for him and had even sent Dania in search. While the brown dragon had dutifully relayed the message, Dania had been... highly unsuccessful. The green firelizard really didn't have an understanding of urgency and had instead gone straight to Kalierre, showered the greenrider in affection, and then returned to K'von with such good cheer that the brownrider had found it nearly impossible to be frustrated with her. Still, he did have the small problem of being... Kalierre-less. Hmm.

Think you can call her again? I know there are other healers on duty... he asked of his brown, feeling guilty when the dragon gave him a sleepy protest. Pleeeeease?

The brown dragon sighed gustily but complied, stretching out a wing and then touching gently against his couch-partner's mind. I am ever so sorry to bother you, Phremath, but Mine is... very set on feeding Yours full of food. He has a great deal of food and is very impatient to see her. The brown's tone was tinged with obvious chagrin for having disturbed her. How fixated was His!

[Requiem]

Dohulth's calls for you again. Dohulth says he has food and wants to make you fat. He's doing better at that than he knows. Phremath's amusement washed over her as the dragonhealer picked her way down the stairs. Her hip was acting up more than normal...likely a storm was on the way. Yay for having a built-in weather predictor. How is that working for you? Mmm? Trying to be grouchy when you really want to see him. Phre, I want to, but what will he say? Probably that he loves you. He says that a lot. Kalierre snorted. You're no help, Phremath. You know that? the dragonhealer responded affectionately.

The woman backed her way into their weyr, masking her nervousness with the brusque manner she was more or less reknowned for at this point. "I was on my way, you know. Can't move as fast as a feline with a dragon on it's tail." She fiddled over in the corner by the door, removing her gloves and brushing at hair that was not at all out of place. It was a familiar gesture, though, and that helped somewhat.

Her eyes flicked over her K'von, noting with a certain amount of feminine pleasure that he was looking much better than he had been even a sevenday ago. Still a fair sight from normal, but she no longer doubted he'd be back to his former self in relatively short order. So long as he didn't kill himself with all the pushups and situps despite her insistence that a jog would do him better. Obstinate one.

"Trying to scarf everything in the Weyr again, I see," she commented, her exasperation clearly feigned. Kalierre was happy the man's appetite had returned. It was a good sign. "I don't know if we can make all of this disappear, even with my help." Even so, she limped awkwardly over to the cot, leaving her cane by the door. She was trying to cut back on her reliance on the cane, but...this was probably all the progress she'd make. Crossing a room. The woman crawled carefully over him, planting herself on one side, with her legs draped over his stomach and dangling. She reached down an plucked fruit from the tray, nibbling at it.

"Why so insistent today?" Kalierre looked at him curiously, her right leg - the uninjured one - swinging a little as a weyrbrat's might if his feet didn't touch the ground.

[kysseh]

The relief that he felt upon seeing her was clearly visible on his face, the brownrider's face stretching into a wide grin. K'von had been afraid that she would abandon him to the infirmary for another candlemark or two. Silly woman. There were other healers, and he needed her here, to make sure she ate and slept and got plenty of attention. Still, he did have the good grace to wince at what sounded like a rebuke. Oops. He had forgotten the hip completely, so excited was he to see her that very moment. His dark eyes watched her do some meaningless chore over by the doorway, his eagerness and impatience very evident, even if he did look a bit chagrined.

"Sorry, love. I'm hungry, and I... really wanted to see you." See and hold her, to be accurate. He caught sight of her glancing at him, and it perked him up considerably. She wasn't angry, then, even if she did have to make a disparaging comment about his appetite. It made him smile, widely. "I'm starving, love. Been waiting on you. You should be proud of me; I got things done today and managed to not pass out in the process."

All right, so he was a little bitter about his own weakness. His hands were still thin, though they were beginning to make a comeback. He could get up, move around, stay awake for longer periods of time, and his skin had lots its unhealthy pallor. But it was still difficult, and the accompanying feelings of weakness and helplessness irked him on a great many levels. But that was neither here nor there, and the image of Kalierre crossing the room on her own, without the aid of her cane, was enough to keep his mind occupied. His first instinct was to stand and help her, but that would have resulted in a glare. Instead, he laid back flat and held out a hand as if to help her.

Of course she ignored it, which vexed and amazed him all at once. The man hefted a sigh and watched her settle herself, not at all bothered that she draped her legs across him. If that was what she wanted, then fine. He lowered his hand to stroke along her calf for a moment, an undeniably tender gesture that did not pause even as he snagged a meatroll from the tray and began to eat with gusto. She had food; he had food. The world was good. "It'll go; trust me," he mumbled around a mouthful. Her question took him aback, though, and the hand on her calf stilled, bewilderment clear in his eyes and posture. What... insistent...?

"Just wanted... to make sure you had something to eat and that you slept. All I've done is eat and sleep. And bathe the wherrybrain." This last was said with affection, and the brownrider glanced toward the dragon couch, grinning as his mindmate gave him a look and then curled up tighter. "Dohulth fed too. He's in a good mood. Sort of. I woke him up." His gaze flicked back to his weyrmate. "You all right? I am sorry about bothering you and Phremath..."

[Requiem]

A brow raised mildly at his comment. "You've been capable of not passing out for awhile now." K'von's irritation with not being back at full strength grew tiring at times - one of the reasons she was still working regular hours (though not the extensive hours she usually did) at the infirmary. Little would be accomplished by getting twitchy at him. He'd still be frustrated, and she'd be sniping at him too. That single comment was the closest she'd come to telling him to drop the dramatics.

She liked the closeness, she liked K'von, but she also knew herself too well. Kalierre remained silent until the rest of her irritation was quite safely buried and locked away. Because, in the end, unless he got really stupid and did something ridiculous, he would fully recover. In time. Impatience was understandable. But there were too many people walking around the Weyr that she saw daily, permanently crippled or weakened from some injury or illness. Some of the healers among them.

Not to mention that it really was rather oblivious of him to continue whining in the presence of his crippled weyrmate. She'd really like to be whole again, too. That would be nice.

But he wasn't doing it purposely, and some part of her really didn't care to give him any ammunition in the event that he did want to hurt her. K'von was one of the few who actually could. So she kept a lid on the emotional wound he continued to rub raw, and continued eating in silence. At least he tried. She had to give him that much. There was no doubt in her mind that he cared for her, in some ways to the point of being quite unhealthy. He showed it often. Just...didn't always know how to act.

"You're going to make me so large they'll have to roll me to the infirmary, at this rate," she responded, teasing. Kalierre figured being cooped up here explained the sudden need to feed her excessive amounts of food at every given opportunity. Or maybe he just thought that because he was ravenous, she must be too. The dragonhealer was more someone who liked to nibble at things throughout the day, though, because fitting actual mealtimes into her schedule didn't tend to work so well. "I am tired, though." And she liked the warmth of his arms. It gave the illusion of safety, an illusion everyone needed sometimes.

"You're not," she responded with a snort. "But it's of little importance. I can use the rest, and Phremath never protests conversing with other dragons. Or people. Or salamandyrs. Or bugs, really." Affection colored the words. "I'm doing well enough. You've been taking good care of me." Her hand brushed briefly over his bicep, before she leaned back on it and polished off the fruit.

[kysseh]

The implications evident in Kalierre’s single comment were enough to silence K’von for a full few minutes, and the brownrider fixated his attention on his food, annoyed and a little upset. He was being a brat about his own weakness. He knew that, but it didn’t make it any easier to bear. K’von was not a sit-around person. Even as a child he had been into anything and everything, and it bothered him to be sitting around with the proverbial finger up his nose and head up his hind end, doing nothing but small things to work his strength back up. Still, Kalierre seemed--rightfully--annoyed with him for his whining, so he stayed quiet, aware of the fact that the greenrider was doing the same. Silence was never good. It meant both of them were thinking.

And since it was unlikely that either of them would share what was going through their respective minds, it would fester. Fester and fester and then one day… boom. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a pain,” he muttered softly, the one arm loosely around her. She was resting on it anyway, so he might as well let her have the whole arm, even if it was bony and probably an uncomfortable pillow.

Her teasing cheered him up enough that he grinned, unable to contain his amusement at the thought of Kalierre-the-Egg. “Yes, you’d be a giant dragon egg. We’d just roll you around and then set you upright for you to work.” The chuckles escaped unbidden, and the hand at her back began to rub in slow circles, a silent apology and peace offering in case she became offended at the thought of her egg-self. “Well, eat and rest and be un-tired. No work for you right now.” No work, indeed. Kalierre would be lucky if he let her sneak away before she got a good night’s sleep. Perhaps it was being a recovering invalid that made him that much more insistent, he reckoned, but he was insistent nonetheless.

This insistence was obviously proving successful, for he puffed up his chest a bit at her admission. Taking good care of her, was he? It made him happy to hear that, and he polished off his meatroll in about two bites before taking the opportunity to reach over and nuzzle at her hair. Lovely, patient Kalierre. “Dohulth is almost always delighted to have a chance to talk to Phremath. The only time he isn’t as enthusiastic is when I wake him up.” Which was less frequent nowadays.

“Are you comfortable?” he asked suddenly, snagging a piece of fruit off the tray and then turning his head to regard her. It always bothered him, the issue of her hip. He couldn’t fix it, couldn’t help it, couldn’t even… make things a little easier. He wanted to get her a proper cane that wasn’t carved by a complete amateur, but that would have required her giving up the other one. Ridiculous greenrider. He wasn’t sure the position she was in was the best for it either, but… Kalierre knew best, right? Right. “It’s kind of nice cuddling with you like this."

[Requiem]

The apology was only acknowledged by the hand that moved to gently knead his shoulder. She could understand his frustration, and that he subsided after just that small, indirect comment was good enough for her. Kalierre didn't tend to hold grudges. At all. Yes, people could consistently get on her bad side, usually by doing the same sort of things that annoyed her to begin with, but it wasn't a grudge. Just a habitual behavior that bothered her. Dorava fell under that heading. Ka'rys. By and large that was it, though, the rest of it just reactions to singular situations. Not that most people understood that...Kalierre could be quite scary. It worked for her, though, much better than playing nice had. People listened. Things worked more efficiently, because if they didn't everyone knew she'd be riding them, and no one wanted that.

A giant...dragon egg? Kalierre stared at K'von in bemusement for a moment, before finally offering him a chuckle that sounded distinctly - nervous. Of course he didn't know. It wouldn't be obvious for awhile yet, and Phre hadn't told. “I imagine that would be a little awkward.” Faranth knew she felt much like that anyway. Setting herself in one spot and working from there. Of course, she hadn’t moved around a lot before, but there was a difference between not moving much while treating someone and not being able to, wasn’t there?

She shook her head mildly. “Love, I have some things I have to go over while they’re still fresh in my mind. It’s too early in the day to just call it quits.” He should understand that, even if he didn’t like it. Yes, R’wign was competent enough, and Savitri could handle all the day-to-day issues, but Kalierre didn’t get the luxury of simply ignoring things. No one matched her in dragon healing. Not only did she have to be available constantly because of that truth, but she also was responsible for keeping up on her own knowledge and the training of the younger healers who had taken an interest in the craft. It wasn’t the same as general healing, no matter what anyone believed.

Her hand ran through his hair as he nuzzled her, the woman leaning against his shoulder. So easy to believe everything would be fine while they were like this. So easy. She stirred slightly at his question. “Um. Relatively. I’m usually only comfortable in a sea of pillows, and even then it’s hit and miss. But this is fairly comfortable.” Kalierre knew how anxious he got about her, and frankly didn’t understand it half the time. What was simply was. She didn’t notice the pain most of the time…not until he brought it up, at least. “Agreed. Cuddling is nice.” Again, amusement laced her voice. You’d think they didn’t cuddle all that much. Although…maybe they didn’t recently. They used to before he got strange about touching her.

[kysseh]

Her gentle affections and lack of renewed conversation on the sensitive topic meant that he was probably forgiven for being a child. K’von welcomed this, wolfing down his slice of fruit in just a few bites before reaching for another. Awkwardness always gave him stomachaches, and he hated those. So uncomfortable. He had just polished off another slice of fruit when Kalierre’s look got his attention, and the brownrider turned his head, cheeks bulging, toward his weyrmate. His chubby-cheeked face clearly demonstrated his confusion at her expression. What… had…. Why was she giving him that look?! Her laughter sounded like nervous cackles. Old hen cackles. Hens… food…

That train of thought was so unhelpful.

“It’d be very awkward. You know I don’t mind carting you around, though,” the brownrider managed a bit breathlessly, finally having swallowed his giant mouthful. Ouch. He should have chewed that better. “And why… but it’s dinnertime. Surely you can’t have to work after dinner…” he suddenly sighed with such a tone of petulance that he was almost ashamed of himself. Almost. He hated it when she worked constantly, consumed in her scrolls and oblivious to all else. It made him want to be a horrible, horrible distraction. “You need more healers. Then you’ll have more time in the day to study, so I can claim you for a whole night.” Yes, he was grumbling, but the resignation to the inevitable was fairly clear. K’von knew better than to play with taking away her scrolls when she was intent. Bad, bad idea.

Her affection only increased his want to cuddle her senseless, and he shamelessly rubbed his cheek against her hair, sighing in quiet contentment at the closeness. His fingers tugged up her shirt just enough to expose some skin, fingertips rubbing in slow and lazy circles. That contact was addicting. “I’m glad you’re comfortable,” he murmured, his lips perilously close to mouthing at her ear. Hungry, he was, though that hunger was pushed aside for a brief few moments in favor of some much-needed closeness. It was sometimes as though her work claimed all of her attention, and he was an afterthought. K’von was selfish enough to want to be more than that. He could never compete with Phremath, and he didn’t want to. But... still, he was much more interesting than a patient, right?

She seemed amused by his assessment of their position, and the brownrider childishly rolled his eyes, refusing to give up a bit of his hold on her. It was far too cozy, snuggled here like this, even when his stomach decided to voice its opinion with a decidedly loud growl. He whined. “I’m still hungry, though,” he muttered, sighing heavily into her hair. “Think I can eat and seduce you at the same time?”

Seduction would be awhile in coming, for a blast of cold air heralded the arrival of a delighted Dania above the bed. The green flit trilled merrily and then circled them once, finally swooping down to alight on K’von’s chest. Even as Hers sighed in frustration, Dania was oblivious, waggling her tail in an expression of delight as she bounced over to the side of the brownrider’s torso nearest Kalierre, extending the object in her forepaws toward the woman. See, see? She had found a pretty little shell for the pretty lady! Wasn’t Hers so proud?

[Requiem]

What...the...shards?! How did his cheeks even stretch that far? He looked like a shardblasted chipmunk. Kalierre couldn't help herself. She dissolved into what amounted to helpless giggles - the which she would have been quite embarrassed to emit in public - and poked at that crazy pouch-faced look he'd turned on her. Clearly, he'd noticed her awkwardness over the 'egg-Kali' thing, but it was gone now in the face of how absolutely ridiculous he looked. Strange as it was, this was one of the reasons she loved him. He could always make her laugh...no matter how foul her mood previous. Of course, he was a child, but you couldn't pick and choose...you had to love the whole person, or not love them at all.

For once, the woman was willing to bend, if only because he'd amused her enough to knock her out of her more stubborn mood - and she didn't know if she'd be able to concentrate, anyway. But how to tell him? This was going to be awkward. "All right...no more work today. Promise." A brow lifted as she regarded him, however. "But you have to promise to take bites that aren't likely to suffocate you in return, or no deal." She gave in to another chuckle. "Stop complaining." Reaching up, Kali flicked his nose. "You get more of my attention than anyone. Silly. You're almost as bad as Lust." More adorable, but about just as demanding. Weyrdragonhealers rarely had a ton of time, didn't he know?

Kalierre instinctively pressed herself as close as possible to her weyrmate, eyes half-closing at the feel of his warm breath on her ear. His question, though, amused her. "You can hardly eat..." The rest of her thought was interrupted by the little green firelizard. "Hi there, Dania." The dragonhealer's scarred face stretched into a smile, as she reached down and took the gift from the little creature. "For me? Thank you so much." She stroked the firelizard's spine.

Of course, Lust could hardly be left out, now that Dania was receiving attention too. The little bronze crawled up out of her breastband, dropping down to drape himself over Kalierre's wrist and nose at the shell. Naive greenie bring present? He must really like the firelizard, to not gift her with a particularly nasty nomiker. Greenqueen if Lustkind, he told the firelizard, curling his tail around the shell that apparently now was his. A soft croon to the firelizard, and he was back down Kali's shirt, trailing his shell. The woman shook her head.

Glancing at K'von, she felt the color building in her face. She needed to tell him, but she still... "Umm, K'von?" But then the uncertainty welled up again and she clamped her mouth shut.

[kysseh]

At least she had giggled. That made the awkward poke that much better, but K’von still uttered a whine when her finger contacted his cheek. It hurt when she poked while his cheek was full. Still, her giggles were that much more important than overstretched cheeks, and he massaged lightly at her back, waiting for her amusement to cease and grinning all the while. It made him feel important to make her laugh.

He felt even more important to the world in general as she announced that work was at the end for the day. His inner child bounced with glee, and the brownrider could scarcely keep himself from crushing her against him with utter delight. But, Kalierre was to be treated more delicately than that, so he just nuzzled at her hair and grinned like a fool, allowing himself a silent cheer. “Promise, promise. Sorry, I’m just hungry,” he said, looking more than a bit abashed. Another subtle inching toward her had him as close as he thought was safe for the moment, so that his food was still in reach. Of course, his next reach for the tray was interrupted by a flick on the nose, and K’von started in surprise, staring cross-eyed at his nose even as Kalierre tried to be reasonable.

“I know. I just… never feel like we have enough time,” he muttered a bit rebelliously, nibbling on another piece of fruit as he watched his pet devote herself to being attended. Dania loved company and loved attention, and the fact that her gift was accepted only further magnified her joy. The green flitter cooed sweetly, watching as Lust took possession of the shell and disappeared back down Kalierre’s shirt. What… oh, he was taking the shell? His statements were ever so confusing, though, and Dania hopped closer to the greenrider and poked her little head down the front of the woman’s shirt, peeping curiously to see where the salamandyr had disappeared to. Wasn’t he going to play with her… or pet her, like his nice human was?

Embarrassing, his pet was, and K’von could only chuckle and offer Kalierre an apologetic look. Firelizards. Really. What could one do? “Sorry. You want me to… y’know, distract her?” he asked a bit sheepishly, immediately distracted himself when the greenrider’s face started to flush with color. His brow knitted in confusion, the sheepish expression giving way to a mild frown. Was she all right? She seemed slightly off.

“What is it, love?” he inquired, his gaze flicking all over her face. Kalierre never flushed like that, not unless she was already in a mood and he was being particularly – no. No. Not going down that path. Something was obviously wrong, and getting distracted was not helpful. “You’re not getting ill, are you?”

[Requiem]

Even while she was laughing, his large grin bothered her. Why? Simple, really. He suddenly brightened up like another sun when she laughed, and then, after she mentioned not working? Even brighter. Bright enough to be a nova. She truly wished that his happiness wasn't so reliant on her, she really did. Kalierre wasn't a bubbly happy personality in the slightest, and she didn't like that he seemed to be so tied to her moods. He didn't have to be upset just because she was grumbly. Honestly...she thought she was bad for the man, that he could do a lot better than her. Not necessarily that she was bad, but that she was bad for him specifically. Because she couldn't be happy-go-lucky all the time.

Because, even though her crippled status didn't make him love her any less, it did bother him and make him worry more. Kalierre didn't like any of this. She loved the man. And...in her own strange way...she would have left him because of that love. If only she didn't believe that would be even worse than forcing him to deal with her. The man was hopeless, and sometimes - sometimes she felt altogether guilty. Because she had wanted him. Did want him. And if she'd simply kept the direction she'd been going, instead of indulging her desires, he'd probably be a lot better off now.

Fortunately, this train of thought was decidedly hard to maintain with a firelizard partially diving down her front. Kalierre stared at the creature, bemused. Come? Dark warm, Lust say fine. Share. One time, share. He was in a very generous mood today, wasn't he? Too bad that wasn't going to make Kalierre altogether comfortable, having two pets taking up residence between her breasts. Still, she just smiled and shook her head at K'von. "It's okay. I'm used to being pawed." Her words took on a slightly suggestive tone. K'von was pawing at her quite a bit, lately. She was just waiting for the rest of his drive to kick in...then she'd know for sure he was mostly back from the illness.

Bother. She was already worrying him, and she hadn't even said anything yet. Kalierre ducked her head, though it didn't do much good considering all her hair was still braided back and coiled after coming off shift. In fact, all it succeeded in doing was making it so she didn't have to look him in the eye. One hand coiled in his shirt, twisting the fabric nervously. She had to tell him. Once she did, there would no longer be the temptation, that panic she could feel twisting in her gut. Kalierre was a strong woman, but she didn't think she could...she'd always thought she couldn't, and now learning that she could...with the chances of losing it as high as they likely were...

Had to tell him, or the panic might cause her to do something rash. She wouldn't if she told him. Kalierre knew herself well enough to know that. "I'm not sick." The dragonhealer glanced up at him, then embraced him tightly, burying her face against his neck. Now he couldn't see the fear she knew would twist behind her eyes when she spoke. She didn't want him to see that - he worried enough as it was. "Just...I told you, before, that I didn't think I was able to..." So vague. But she couldn't finish, and anyway, he'd understand in a moment. Kalierre plowed on. "I was wrong." She dipped her head further. "I'm...we're going to have a child, K'von. I'm two months pregnant."

There. She'd said it. Her arms tightened around him.

[kysseh]

“Niaaaaaaaa,” K’von drawled unhelpfully at his flitter, wishing he could extricate the flitter without hurting her feelings. The green was always in good spirits, and he was loathe to snag her away from something that so obviously held her attention. Had him twisted around one of her teeny paws, she did. At Kalierre’s tone, his gaze slid sideways to her, something infinitely more wild flickering in his eyes for a moment. Pawed. It sounded so feral, the way she said that, as though he was a wild animal pawing madly at his mate. It should have bothered him, but instead, the opposite was affected. He liked being a little wild with her. Not that he could, really, without fear of hurting her. There was a fine line, and he was still figuring out where to draw it. Right now, with his body still recovering, he could do nothing. But… explore it later, he would.

Thus, the brownrider opened his mouth and extended his fruit-free--he had just finished devouring the morsel--hand toward the little green firelizard, intending to distract her with affection. No sooner had his hand gotten near to her, though, before her head retreated from the shirt with a sad peep, and the little green crawled up onto Kalierre’s shoulder to curl in a little ball. She couldn’t fit in the nice lady’s shirt, no. She was too big. That was all right, though. It was still cozy out here, and she could play with the growly-thing later. A sweet coo was sent his way anyway. Such a nice growly-thing, wasn’t he?

Grateful that his pet was distracted, K’von suddenly was aware of someone fiddling with his shirt. His eyes were full of questions, flicking back and forth between the hand that coiled in his shirt and his weyrmate’s bowed head. Something was… distinctly not right with her. His hand pressed lightly on her back, silently urging her closer to him, as if his presence alone could ward off what ailed her. Or… didn’t ail her, if her words were to be believed. That brief glance was all he received, and then she was pressed tightly against him, her face against the sensitive skin of his neck. Startled, the brownrider made a quiet noise of inquiry, his free hand going around her and lightly cupping the back of her head. She was… afraid?

At her words, his stomach twisted uncomfortably, and he was unsure what exactly she couldn’t until she said it, and then he stopped thinking for a moment. Not what he expected, it was, and he supposed he was silent for a few seconds, lying in sort of a daze. When he registered her grip on him tightening, he gave his head a vigorous shake and inhaled, letting the oxygen flow back into his body to wake up his addled brain. She was… and they were… Faranth. “Ours,” was all he managed to whisper, a note of reverence in his voice. His hand stroked her hair, the other kneading at her back, slowly at first and with more energy. “Two months… Kalierre, it’s…” Wonderful. Joyful. He had not the words, instead pressing kisses to the top of her head, heedless of the fact that he was hitting more hair than scalp. Ah well.

Only after a good moment did he belatedly realize that something about it had upset her, and he was still, his hands halting their ministrations for the moment. “You… are you okay with that? Being pregnant, I mean. I… I’m sorry. I was so excited… are you all right? Kali?” That wordless thrill was being rapidly replaced with worry. She seemed so upset about it. Surely, something was wrong.

[Requiem]

Firelizard on her shoulder. She was careful not to crush any part of Dania against K'von, which made the hug slightly awkward...though not too much given she was sideways presently. This also, incidentally, prevented Lust from getting uncomfortably compressed in her shirt. Apparently he decided that he still didn't feel quite safe - or maybe he just wanted Dania's company for whatever reason (the bronze tended to be more affectionate when Kalierre was stressed, possibly looking for the comfort himself and doing it his own way) - because he ended up near the firelizard, still clinging to the shell.

It was…as she feared. The man sounded so completely delighted, and if that hadn’t been enough to prove what she’d always known, the kisses pressed against the top of her head certainly did. He wanted this child. Not only did he want it, but he didn’t even indulge in the brief male twitching that almost always accompanied such announcements. Kalierre was doing enough twitching for the both of them, yes, but it still would have been better if he’d at least shown a little doubt. Because, now, the thought of failing him in this was only that much more powerful. The dragon healer didn’t want him to lose this happiness. Why did children have to be so sharding important to him?

At lest she knew she’d done the right thing, however. At least there was that. Keeping the secret from K’von would just have been a way to make sure she had an out if she wanted it. Yes, Kalierre could be exceedingly cowardly, though it was unlikely she’d admit as much. Make him shut up. Oh Faranth! Already the excitement was waning, and, as usual, it was caused by her, because she simply couldn’t seem to show the emotions he needed. Ever. And, as usual, she resorted to distractions. Her hand snaked up, snagged in his hair, and she drew him into a kiss that probably seemed passionate enough - but was fueled more by desperation on her end.

He wasn’t supposed to notice her upset. Why had she let him?

“I’m fine,” she murmured, rubbing her face along his jaw, as much to prevent him from seeing her face as to show affection. “A little…shocked, honestly. I’d resigned myself to being unable to have children, and to suddenly have that world opened up to me again…it’s more than just a little surprising. But the signs are there.” Nor could they be argued with. Short of a really rare, virtually unheard of disease that closely mimicked symptoms shown in the beginning stages of pregnancy, she had a life growing inside her. “And yes, most definitely ours.” He hadn’t asked. Still, there was room to question it, and she didn’t want him to.

If she hadn’t been absolutely positive it was K’von’s, there would be no pregnancy.

Pulling back finally, she smiled at him, a tad teary-eyed and bleary, but he’d likely ignore that, right? “You know me, K’von. If I wasn’t all right with something, it wouldn’t happen.” All right, maybe not… Yet she wanted that joy from him she’d witnessed briefly. She liked seeing him happy. It was just that…he was already so attached to something that hadn’t even been born yet. That scared her.

[kysseh]

Adjusting one’s balance on a moving perch was never easy, but Dania managed to settle herself comfortably as the two humans snuggled, cooing as they did so. So cute, the humanthings. Her croons got louder as the growly-thing emerged from the nice lady’s shirt, shell in tow. She edged towards him and attempted to wrap a wing around him, nuzzling the bronze with gentle and obvious affection. He was coming to snuggle, of course. Why else would he come near her? Snuggles for all, then!

K’von was somewhat surprised when his affections toward Kalierre were distracted by a hand tangling in his hair. One of her fingers was caught in a tangle, and he yelped quietly, the sound trailing off as he was promptly drowned in a kiss that left his head spinning and his eyes seeing sparkles against the dark inside of his eyelids. Oooh, that had been pleasant. He managed a faint grin by the time she pulled away, grateful for the available air. Air was good. Air was vital. He had to breathe, and his hand renewed its massage of her back, fingers slipping under her shirt to touch the bare skin.

Surprising, hmm? That was a nice word for it. He gave a shaky, nervous sort of chuckle, happy to let her body rest near to his, grateful for the feel of her skin brushing along his jawline. “Careful, there. Your face’ll be bright red,” he murmured softly, aware that the stubble along his jaw would cause a great deal of friction. She didn’t seem to care, though, and he stroked lightly at her hair, content to just lie still for a moment while his brain processed the concept of fatherhood. Father. Father. Him. It seemed bizarre and exciting and frightening all at once. He hadn’t a decent clue how to be a good parent, even if he had had three wonderful ones of his own, four if his rarely-present mother was counted. Good examples, but he was scrambling to come up with some of the good rules of parenting that he had learned. His brain was a muddled mess of joy and terror, and he decided to leave the details for later. It was safer that way.

When she proclaimed it was certainly theirs, his grip on her tightened just enough to let her know that he had heard, his lips seeking hers for a brief, possessive kiss. Of course it was theirs. Had to be. When she pulled away, he closed the distance again, pressing firm kisses to both of her cheeks. The teary nature of her eyes did not escape his notice, and it distressed him that she would be so… so… nervous. Upset. Whatever a good word for it was. “I know that. I just want you to be all right with it for the right reasons,” he said quietly, stroking her hair back from her face. Lovely Kalierre. His. “Why are you upset?” A bit blunt, perhaps, but bluntness was often the better way to go.

They are to have a hatchling. Dohulth commented to Phremath with a mixture of bewilderment and curiosity. A hatchling… theirs?! Strange, it was, but not unwelcome. Dohulth did not mind human hatchlings, even with their messiness and loud noises. They were rather cute, in a strange way. I am happy for you. he stated directly to Kalierre, not sure if she would care or not. Still, happy sentiments were to be relayed directly and not through His, so he would speak to Phremath’s without an intermediary. She was the weyrmate of His’. Why should he not speak to her?

[Requiem]

Lust wasn't precisely sure how to react to Dania's affections. She was his, of course, and certainly wasn't challenging him in any way, but most creatures weren't presumptuous or, inthis case, innocent enough to show such physical attachment. The salamandyr chose to indulge his pet, however. He nuzzled her, wrapping his tail around one of her legs. Good good, he muttered to her.

Kalierre's head dipped. He was still asking. Of course he was. She had to have more control than she currently did to keep things from him, given K'von had a tendency to see shadows at midday anyway. Fine. If he wanted to know so badly, she'd tell him. "I'm scared," she told the man quietly. "I know how much you want a child. If not for you, I probably wouldn't keep it." The blunt truth, something Kalierre was becoming known for. "Not because I don't want it, though. I...never thought about having children before. There was no point."

She tugged on the end of her braid, unwinding the thong that held it to give her hands something to do other than fidget nervously. "But now that I'm...pregnant...I want a child to share with you - for you and for me - so badly. Painfully badly. It scares me." Her eyes hadn't left his face, but they had dropped, lingering above his lips where it was safer. The woman's fingers worked the strands of the braid loose, her hair falling in kinked waves. "I don't think i could take the loss of a child. If you weren't here...I think I'd play the coward and convince myself the pregnancy was inconvenient."

The stark, bitter truth, that. "I don't want to be a coward, though. I just...I'm scared." Yes, she'd already said it, but she felt the need to say it again, even as she pressed herself against him, clinging.

They are, Phremath agreed cheerfully. The green let the air carry her, playing in the currents over the falls. No, she wasn't as daring as the creature who Rose, leading her chasers through air, land and sea. There was nothing particularly aggressive or daring about the picture she painted. No, she just wrote across the skies a dance of playful happiness, content to cavort on the currents and winds wherever they happened to take her. She'd land before it got dark, but for now...A little Dohulth'sKaliMine. That will be fun.

[kysseh]

While his firelizard crooned affections at a creature who seemed to be somewhat undeserving of them, K’von devoted his whole attention to the woman in his arms, unable to keep from touching her. When her head bowed, his lips came forward, brushing ever so gently across her forehead. His beautiful weyrmate. His. K’von had always been a possessive person, even if he was strange about it. His weyrmate was not spared from this.

At her words, he was shocked, enough off-guard that whatever reassurances had been about to pass through his lips were suddenly forgotten in the face of her admission of fear. His Kalierre… was afraid. This was new and rather alarming, and he carefully shifted himself to hold her more comfortably, dark eyes fixed on her face. She was terrified. Of being a mother… of carrying the child. Probably of giving birth too, if he thought about it. That sounded scary enough to him, as a male, and he wasn’t the one forcing a very, very large thing out of a very, very small orifice.

That she would even think to end it bothered him, but the shadow that passed over his expression was fleeting. She was practical that way, his Kalierre. Not sentimental as he was, except in the case of certain things, it seemed. She wanted their child, and she wanted it only because it was theirs. “I’m scared too, love,” he admitted, cuddling her against him without an ounce of hesitation. The blunt truth of it stung a bit, the thought that she would not have told him, would have just been too afraid to manage and killed their unborn child. She had not, though. She wouldn’t. Kalierre was too brave for that.

“You’re too brave to be a coward. Much braver than me,” he murmured to her, enjoying the feel of her loose hair. His fingers sought it and ran through it, working very gently at the snarls that caught on them. No pain would he inflict on her. “I want this too, love. I want it for both of us.” He nuzzled at her hair, his free hand stroking lightly over the skin of her back as he held her to him. “I… it scares me that we could lose our child. I don’t want to. But… I’m no healer to help with that. But I can help any other way. Anything you want. Anything you need.” There was quiet, earnest sincerity in his voice. He wanted it… wanted her, wanted their child. “We’re in this together.”

It will be a great deal of fun… Dohulth agreed wholeheartedly, his head turned thoughtfully toward the skies for a moment before he abandoned his couch for the ledge. The great wings unfurled slowly, stretching to their full extent and flapping once. The brown’s gaze was focused on the creature in the skies, watching her play about on the thermals. Would you like me to keep my promise?