Leaving
Who: Javeri and P'draig
Where: Sandbar
When: Afternoon on day 1, month 12, turn 20
What: Javeri's being miserable. P'draig comes by to talk. They share a disheartening conversation, but promise to keep in touch.
More log catch up! And log thiefing!
The weather sucks. Humid without wind there's little incentive to actually go be doing anything. Which is why even the Sandbar is sitting under a more than usual quiet spell this time of day. Maybe that's partly due to the center of misery tucked away in the corner that is Javeri and occasionally some sailor offering condolences on the loss of her baby. Several empty glasses sit piled up before her and around her, but she's not drinking at this moment.
It's icky sticky out and Paddy's given the weyrlings a break from jumping around Pern like insane grasshoppers and let them go cool off however they'd rather. The Weyrlingmaster steps into the bar, gray-blue eyes seeking and finding Veri and he heads that way promptly, maybe tipped off by someone about the whole ball of misery thing. "Hey," he says simply and drops into the seat across the table, hands on table and reaches out to touch one of those empties. "Should I offer to get you another?" His eyes lift to find hers, steady.
Lifting her head from contemplating the condensation drawing she was doing on the table Veri blinks. "Oh, hi. Are you ok?" Because that's more important. What other people are feeling! "I've got a good offer on the remains of her. So no one's going to lose marks. That's good. And business was picking up well so there was plenty of paying back before." No word on a new one. But she does peer at the mass of glasses and find one with a finger's worth of drink left in it to empty. "But I don't think- I mean. I'm done, you know? With the whole...business."
"I'm good, yeah," P'draig answers, mouth going quirky and he starts to reach over towards one of her hands, pauses as she reaches for that nearly empty glass. Breath out and he's quiet for a moment or two. "Just -- too much?" he asks, head tilting at an angle.
Once the glass is empty Javeri's hand reaches for his. "It's just- I don't know. I was finally getting the hang of it I think and then this. So, you know? It's just hard. Now it feels like I did all that work and tried so hard for nothing." Silence from the bluerider before she lets out a sigh. "I've asked for a transfer. Just to get away for a bit. You know? Figure out...well, I don't know." Shaking her head she lifts a hand to wave someone over. While waiting she starts stacking glasses up to be taken away. "Chadamalith says it's for the best because I was lost in being who I am here instead of being who I am. Who knows."
P'draig's fingers seek to thread through Veri's and then he goes still, head lifting sharply. "A transfer?" he questions, brows knitting togethehr a little and his fingers tighten after a moment. "Where would you go, Veri?" More softly as he picks up a glass with his free hand and stacks it on top of another.
"A transfer, yea. I just...maybe he's right, you know?" Javeri shakes her head and gets the glasses finished together. Just in time for the waitress girl to get started removing them. "A'mon knows some people at Igen," she says quietly. "He's been real supportive through it all. He even said he'd give us our spot back when we return. But someplace different. Someplace I can figure things out without looking around seeing what I always see and what I failed at. It's not...not like running away. That's what he says."
P'draig lifts that hand his fingers are threaded through, curls his other hand around it, aims to bring it up to his lips for a light kiss. "That's not so far away," is what he says with maybe an edge of relief in his voice. "But Veri ... are you sure?" His head tilts a little towards her hand, maybe aiming his cheek for her fingers. "I'll miss you."
Javeri taps the last glass before it's picked up. Her refill request most likely. Waiting until the tray full of glasses is gone she says, "It's not so far." Sucking her lower lip between her teeth she chews on it before nodding. "Yea. I'm sure. Six, seven months. A turn at most really. Just so I can get myself back together. I can't spend the rest of my life doing the same thing all the time. He's not going to let me for one thing." Shaking her head she leans forward before smiling. "I'll miss you too. But it's not so long. And it's not like you won't be able to fill your time."
P'draig gives her hand another squeeze then sets to toying with her thumb a little, traces the line of one finger. "It's not about filling time," he says, eyes down, fixed on the shape of her hand in his. "But half a turn ... a turn, yeah, not so bad." He takes a deep breath, looks back up at her and there's a touch of 'little boy lost' to the look on his face. "I can come visit?"
"I know. I know it's not that. But it's just so much right now and I keep not doing things. So I need time to recover." Javeri rests her head on the table for a moment before lifting it and smiling a little. "You can come visit. Give us a month to get settled. You know how he is. But he's already said he'll miss Jekzith. He's his buddy after all. And it'll take him time to make friends of course. Well, to trust any of them anyway. Friends he can do. I'm dreading adjusting to a new wing, but A'mon said we should do ok."
P'draig reaches over to run a hand over braided hair and then impulsively, gets up and comes around to sit next to her instead, slides his arm around her. "A whole month? All right ... guess I can live with that," the brownrider says and smiles wryly. "Yeah, I know. Might take a little while to smooth out all the kinks. Hopefully he'll get off on the right foot."
Since he's sitting beside her now she leans into him. "A whole month," Javeri teases with a tiny laugh. "Just a tiny month. We've waited longer I think. We'll just have to make up for lost time is all. That will give us something to do for a bit." Under the table she taps his foot with hers. "We're going to go meet with the potential new wingmates in the next couple of days and start settling him in."
"Oh it's not just about that," P'draig says laughingly and leans his head down to kiss her lightly. "Even then you were around every day," the brownrider notes and curls his arm that much more around her. "Palia will miss her surfing lessons too." His foot nudges hers back under the table. "Yeah? Hope it goes smoothly, really do. Get you set up for things going easily."
"Well, about surfing lessons," Javeri offers with a hesitant note in her voice. "I know someone who could take over. I could arrange for the two of you to meet him and see if Palia likes him and if you're comfortable with it. I was going to ask her to watch my board while I was gone too. I'd feel silly hauling it to the desert and all." Resting her foot atop his she tips her head to look at him. "If you don't like him I know a couple other people. It wouldn't be fair to punish her after all."
"I ... don't know," P'draig says slowly about that option. "I'll take to her about it, see what she thinks. I think ... part of what made it special for her was that it was you," the brownrider says with a wry grin. "But I'm sure she'll be very proud about keeping your board for you." He reaches over to tug gently on one of her braids.
"Well, good. Because at least I know she knows how to take care of it," Javeri says with a slight smile. When her braid is tugged she even manages a tiny laugh although it's missing something. "She can come visit too if she wants sometime. Once we get all settled in and sorted out." Silence again and then, "After awhile maybe I can stop by once in awhile at least and continue her lessons too."
"She does," P'draig says and starts to wind that braid around his finger slowly. "We'll come visit," he promises in a low voice then tilts his head down towards hers and sighs softly, closes his eyes. "I know it's selfish. Just ... wish you weren't going."
"I'm sorry," Javeri says and sounds sincere even before the sigh. "I'm scared to death of leaving, but maybe this is all...maybe it's just life telling me I need to do something different. That I'm not supposed to keep living my life like it's not going to change. A whole new environment will let me really figure things out. And getting out will be good for you! I hear the dry desert air is good for you or something. I'm sorry." Again. Still sincere at least.
P'draig's hand drops to rub at her back, comforting. "I know. Like I said. Selfish," the brownrider admits and looks off towards the beach. "A new outlook will be good. And the rocks at Igen are pretty at least."
Another laugh just as small if a little louder. "Rocks. Now you sound like Chadamalith. He's sure he's one with the ocean now and is looking forward to learning the desert. Until he's one with it too. It just sounds dry to me. I'll miss the water. But I just can't deal with it all right now. All the water." Shaking her head just a fraction Javeri frowns a moment. "But it's fine to be selfish. We're kind of being selfish leaving after all."
"One with the water, one with the sand ... he's still quite the philosopher," P'draig says with a laugh and straightens up, stretches his arms above his head then reaches for her hand again. "Dry will be a lot different. And well, I might be a little jealous about you getting out of the humidity," he teases a little, then gives that hand a tug. "Want to see if I can cheer you up any?" And there's a brow-waggle to go along with that.
"Well, then we can both not like our weather and bond over that," Javeri teases quietly. "And he is definitely still a philosopher. Always a step ahead of me at least. Usually a lot more." Shaking her head she twines her fingers with his before kissing his cheek. "I could use cheering up." Letting out a heavy sigh she adds with more teasing, "At least I'll let you try I suppose."
"There you go, looking on the bright side," Paddy says teasingly and then beams at her and makes to get up, tugging her hand to take her with. "Come on. It's definitely worth a try and if not cheering up, at least forgetting about all your troubles for a little while, hm?"
"Sunny as the day in summer," Javeri informs him as she stands up. "Forgetting will work just as good though I think. Either way though I'm going to expect a lot." Which is followed by a tug of her own hand to haul him out of the room. At least the mood should lighten up a little with her rain cloud corner cleared up.
"I'll do my best to meet those expectations," P'draig promises very seriously though there's humor to be found in his eyes as they head out for a hopefully much cheerier time with suitable distraction in the offing.
Where: Sandbar
When: Afternoon on day 1, month 12, turn 20
What: Javeri's being miserable. P'draig comes by to talk. They share a disheartening conversation, but promise to keep in touch.
More log catch up! And log thiefing!
The weather sucks. Humid without wind there's little incentive to actually go be doing anything. Which is why even the Sandbar is sitting under a more than usual quiet spell this time of day. Maybe that's partly due to the center of misery tucked away in the corner that is Javeri and occasionally some sailor offering condolences on the loss of her baby. Several empty glasses sit piled up before her and around her, but she's not drinking at this moment.
It's icky sticky out and Paddy's given the weyrlings a break from jumping around Pern like insane grasshoppers and let them go cool off however they'd rather. The Weyrlingmaster steps into the bar, gray-blue eyes seeking and finding Veri and he heads that way promptly, maybe tipped off by someone about the whole ball of misery thing. "Hey," he says simply and drops into the seat across the table, hands on table and reaches out to touch one of those empties. "Should I offer to get you another?" His eyes lift to find hers, steady.
Lifting her head from contemplating the condensation drawing she was doing on the table Veri blinks. "Oh, hi. Are you ok?" Because that's more important. What other people are feeling! "I've got a good offer on the remains of her. So no one's going to lose marks. That's good. And business was picking up well so there was plenty of paying back before." No word on a new one. But she does peer at the mass of glasses and find one with a finger's worth of drink left in it to empty. "But I don't think- I mean. I'm done, you know? With the whole...business."
"I'm good, yeah," P'draig answers, mouth going quirky and he starts to reach over towards one of her hands, pauses as she reaches for that nearly empty glass. Breath out and he's quiet for a moment or two. "Just -- too much?" he asks, head tilting at an angle.
Once the glass is empty Javeri's hand reaches for his. "It's just- I don't know. I was finally getting the hang of it I think and then this. So, you know? It's just hard. Now it feels like I did all that work and tried so hard for nothing." Silence from the bluerider before she lets out a sigh. "I've asked for a transfer. Just to get away for a bit. You know? Figure out...well, I don't know." Shaking her head she lifts a hand to wave someone over. While waiting she starts stacking glasses up to be taken away. "Chadamalith says it's for the best because I was lost in being who I am here instead of being who I am. Who knows."
P'draig's fingers seek to thread through Veri's and then he goes still, head lifting sharply. "A transfer?" he questions, brows knitting togethehr a little and his fingers tighten after a moment. "Where would you go, Veri?" More softly as he picks up a glass with his free hand and stacks it on top of another.
"A transfer, yea. I just...maybe he's right, you know?" Javeri shakes her head and gets the glasses finished together. Just in time for the waitress girl to get started removing them. "A'mon knows some people at Igen," she says quietly. "He's been real supportive through it all. He even said he'd give us our spot back when we return. But someplace different. Someplace I can figure things out without looking around seeing what I always see and what I failed at. It's not...not like running away. That's what he says."
P'draig lifts that hand his fingers are threaded through, curls his other hand around it, aims to bring it up to his lips for a light kiss. "That's not so far away," is what he says with maybe an edge of relief in his voice. "But Veri ... are you sure?" His head tilts a little towards her hand, maybe aiming his cheek for her fingers. "I'll miss you."
Javeri taps the last glass before it's picked up. Her refill request most likely. Waiting until the tray full of glasses is gone she says, "It's not so far." Sucking her lower lip between her teeth she chews on it before nodding. "Yea. I'm sure. Six, seven months. A turn at most really. Just so I can get myself back together. I can't spend the rest of my life doing the same thing all the time. He's not going to let me for one thing." Shaking her head she leans forward before smiling. "I'll miss you too. But it's not so long. And it's not like you won't be able to fill your time."
P'draig gives her hand another squeeze then sets to toying with her thumb a little, traces the line of one finger. "It's not about filling time," he says, eyes down, fixed on the shape of her hand in his. "But half a turn ... a turn, yeah, not so bad." He takes a deep breath, looks back up at her and there's a touch of 'little boy lost' to the look on his face. "I can come visit?"
"I know. I know it's not that. But it's just so much right now and I keep not doing things. So I need time to recover." Javeri rests her head on the table for a moment before lifting it and smiling a little. "You can come visit. Give us a month to get settled. You know how he is. But he's already said he'll miss Jekzith. He's his buddy after all. And it'll take him time to make friends of course. Well, to trust any of them anyway. Friends he can do. I'm dreading adjusting to a new wing, but A'mon said we should do ok."
P'draig reaches over to run a hand over braided hair and then impulsively, gets up and comes around to sit next to her instead, slides his arm around her. "A whole month? All right ... guess I can live with that," the brownrider says and smiles wryly. "Yeah, I know. Might take a little while to smooth out all the kinks. Hopefully he'll get off on the right foot."
Since he's sitting beside her now she leans into him. "A whole month," Javeri teases with a tiny laugh. "Just a tiny month. We've waited longer I think. We'll just have to make up for lost time is all. That will give us something to do for a bit." Under the table she taps his foot with hers. "We're going to go meet with the potential new wingmates in the next couple of days and start settling him in."
"Oh it's not just about that," P'draig says laughingly and leans his head down to kiss her lightly. "Even then you were around every day," the brownrider notes and curls his arm that much more around her. "Palia will miss her surfing lessons too." His foot nudges hers back under the table. "Yeah? Hope it goes smoothly, really do. Get you set up for things going easily."
"Well, about surfing lessons," Javeri offers with a hesitant note in her voice. "I know someone who could take over. I could arrange for the two of you to meet him and see if Palia likes him and if you're comfortable with it. I was going to ask her to watch my board while I was gone too. I'd feel silly hauling it to the desert and all." Resting her foot atop his she tips her head to look at him. "If you don't like him I know a couple other people. It wouldn't be fair to punish her after all."
"I ... don't know," P'draig says slowly about that option. "I'll take to her about it, see what she thinks. I think ... part of what made it special for her was that it was you," the brownrider says with a wry grin. "But I'm sure she'll be very proud about keeping your board for you." He reaches over to tug gently on one of her braids.
"Well, good. Because at least I know she knows how to take care of it," Javeri says with a slight smile. When her braid is tugged she even manages a tiny laugh although it's missing something. "She can come visit too if she wants sometime. Once we get all settled in and sorted out." Silence again and then, "After awhile maybe I can stop by once in awhile at least and continue her lessons too."
"She does," P'draig says and starts to wind that braid around his finger slowly. "We'll come visit," he promises in a low voice then tilts his head down towards hers and sighs softly, closes his eyes. "I know it's selfish. Just ... wish you weren't going."
"I'm sorry," Javeri says and sounds sincere even before the sigh. "I'm scared to death of leaving, but maybe this is all...maybe it's just life telling me I need to do something different. That I'm not supposed to keep living my life like it's not going to change. A whole new environment will let me really figure things out. And getting out will be good for you! I hear the dry desert air is good for you or something. I'm sorry." Again. Still sincere at least.
P'draig's hand drops to rub at her back, comforting. "I know. Like I said. Selfish," the brownrider admits and looks off towards the beach. "A new outlook will be good. And the rocks at Igen are pretty at least."
Another laugh just as small if a little louder. "Rocks. Now you sound like Chadamalith. He's sure he's one with the ocean now and is looking forward to learning the desert. Until he's one with it too. It just sounds dry to me. I'll miss the water. But I just can't deal with it all right now. All the water." Shaking her head just a fraction Javeri frowns a moment. "But it's fine to be selfish. We're kind of being selfish leaving after all."
"One with the water, one with the sand ... he's still quite the philosopher," P'draig says with a laugh and straightens up, stretches his arms above his head then reaches for her hand again. "Dry will be a lot different. And well, I might be a little jealous about you getting out of the humidity," he teases a little, then gives that hand a tug. "Want to see if I can cheer you up any?" And there's a brow-waggle to go along with that.
"Well, then we can both not like our weather and bond over that," Javeri teases quietly. "And he is definitely still a philosopher. Always a step ahead of me at least. Usually a lot more." Shaking her head she twines her fingers with his before kissing his cheek. "I could use cheering up." Letting out a heavy sigh she adds with more teasing, "At least I'll let you try I suppose."
"There you go, looking on the bright side," Paddy says teasingly and then beams at her and makes to get up, tugging her hand to take her with. "Come on. It's definitely worth a try and if not cheering up, at least forgetting about all your troubles for a little while, hm?"
"Sunny as the day in summer," Javeri informs him as she stands up. "Forgetting will work just as good though I think. Either way though I'm going to expect a lot." Which is followed by a tug of her own hand to haul him out of the room. At least the mood should lighten up a little with her rain cloud corner cleared up.
"I'll do my best to meet those expectations," P'draig promises very seriously though there's humor to be found in his eyes as they head out for a hopefully much cheerier time with suitable distraction in the offing.