Vignette: Time To Bring Dharia Home
Who: P'draig, NPCs: Miara, Tilara, healer journeyman at Fort
When: Afternoon, day 10, month 2, turn 21 of the 10th interval.
Where: Infirmary/Living Cavern, Fort Weyr
What: P'draig makes some arrangements with Dharia's nursemaid and gets ready to bring Dharia home to Ista. Baby babble.
Ironically, Dharia's birthday is precisely one month before Palia's. If she hadn't been a preemie, they probably would've shared a birthday week if not a birthday.
For all she'd been so early, Dharia bulked up and got healthy much more quickly than Palia had.
It had been a rough couple of weeks at first, but if anything, the baby had her mother's stubborn tenacity and she seemed to reject illness and weakness as options. P'draig found himself blinking in surprise at the healer journeyman when she gave his shoulder a squeeze and blithely announced just a day shy of a month after Dharia's birth that he could take her back to Ista with him the following seven.
He'd been carrying her around strapped to his chest just like he had her sister seven turns ago and Dharia seemed to love it just as much as Palia had, though she wasn't as placid of an infant, always wriggling around in the confines of the sling, trying to get turned around so she could /see/ outside. It gave him both a pang and smile to think that she'd inherited her mother's restless desire to see and explore the world.
She was chubby now, or at least, well on her way there, all filled out with round cheeks and bright dark eyes under quite the mop of equally dark hair. She ate like a runner too, Miara said, practically attacking her at every meal. Her sleeping patterns weren't quite settled down, but he thought it might be enough that Dharia could in fact stay with him and Mic for a while. She had a nice long sleep from around the middle of the night to early morning. That was pretty livable as little babies went. Otherwise, she was a pretty go-go-go baby. She napped in short spates during the day, spent a lot of time looking around and liked to be upright more than lying down. When Paddy didn't have her wrapped up in the sling to walk around Fort's caverns, Miara did and Tilara, about to turn three, liked to try to keep her entertained by making faces and introducing her to her toys.
He settled Dharia in the sling, went to find Miara who was having a distracted lunch in the living cavern with Tilara in tow, trying to answer all of the little girl's questions about how long winter would last. She smiled up at him a little tiredly as he took the spot across from them and waited until Tilara had her mouth full of mashed tubers before he spoke.
"So. They say she can come with me to Ista next seven." Deep breath. "What do you think about coming along with?" Brows up. Miara stopped chewing and blinked at him a few times, looked over at Tilara who perked up and swallowed hastily. "With Papa Mic?" she asked brightly. Paddy nodded. "Yeah. Same Weyr anyway. We can ask the headwoman, see if we can set the whole family up, if you'd like Miara. We can trade off nights - Dharia can stay up with us some nights, down with you others and if she's hungry, I'll bring her down."
Miara's teeth caught at her lower lip and her eyes got suspiciously bright but she only nodded at him energetically, finally spoke. "Yes, I -- we'd like that. Being closer to T'mic ... to you," she said with just a little flush in her cheeks and a smile. "And Tilara can get to know Palia and Dylan and even Jaivery a bit better and it'll be good for them to all to know Dharia as she gets bigger."
"Yeah. Everyone but Jaivery all in one place," P'draig said with an answering grin. "I'll touch base with Ista's headwoman, see if we can get it arranged," the brownrider said quietly. "For now, I'll get Dharia settled, then I'll head back to Ista, to start looking into it."
He reached across the table with his palm up and open and Miara reached back, curled her hand into his and smiled warmly. "Thank you, P'draig. It'll be good to have my family all around," she said earnestly then drew her hand away. He nodded once, then got up to walk Dharia back to the infirmary though she hardly needed to be there anymore. She was yawning, but sort of fighting sleep so he walked and bounced for a little while until she dropped off, then tucked her back into the cradle they'd set up for her near the warmest part of the room, drew the blankets up over her shoulders.
"Sleep well, little one," he told her quietly, "you'll be home soon." Paddy's hand ran lightly over her dark hair, then he straightened and walked out into the growing storm outside, to make quick headway for Ista. He had a lot of things to arrange, including something special for Palia's birthday the following day, not forgotten in all the crazy shuffle.
When: Afternoon, day 10, month 2, turn 21 of the 10th interval.
Where: Infirmary/Living Cavern, Fort Weyr
What: P'draig makes some arrangements with Dharia's nursemaid and gets ready to bring Dharia home to Ista. Baby babble.
Ironically, Dharia's birthday is precisely one month before Palia's. If she hadn't been a preemie, they probably would've shared a birthday week if not a birthday.
For all she'd been so early, Dharia bulked up and got healthy much more quickly than Palia had.
It had been a rough couple of weeks at first, but if anything, the baby had her mother's stubborn tenacity and she seemed to reject illness and weakness as options. P'draig found himself blinking in surprise at the healer journeyman when she gave his shoulder a squeeze and blithely announced just a day shy of a month after Dharia's birth that he could take her back to Ista with him the following seven.
He'd been carrying her around strapped to his chest just like he had her sister seven turns ago and Dharia seemed to love it just as much as Palia had, though she wasn't as placid of an infant, always wriggling around in the confines of the sling, trying to get turned around so she could /see/ outside. It gave him both a pang and smile to think that she'd inherited her mother's restless desire to see and explore the world.
She was chubby now, or at least, well on her way there, all filled out with round cheeks and bright dark eyes under quite the mop of equally dark hair. She ate like a runner too, Miara said, practically attacking her at every meal. Her sleeping patterns weren't quite settled down, but he thought it might be enough that Dharia could in fact stay with him and Mic for a while. She had a nice long sleep from around the middle of the night to early morning. That was pretty livable as little babies went. Otherwise, she was a pretty go-go-go baby. She napped in short spates during the day, spent a lot of time looking around and liked to be upright more than lying down. When Paddy didn't have her wrapped up in the sling to walk around Fort's caverns, Miara did and Tilara, about to turn three, liked to try to keep her entertained by making faces and introducing her to her toys.
He settled Dharia in the sling, went to find Miara who was having a distracted lunch in the living cavern with Tilara in tow, trying to answer all of the little girl's questions about how long winter would last. She smiled up at him a little tiredly as he took the spot across from them and waited until Tilara had her mouth full of mashed tubers before he spoke.
"So. They say she can come with me to Ista next seven." Deep breath. "What do you think about coming along with?" Brows up. Miara stopped chewing and blinked at him a few times, looked over at Tilara who perked up and swallowed hastily. "With Papa Mic?" she asked brightly. Paddy nodded. "Yeah. Same Weyr anyway. We can ask the headwoman, see if we can set the whole family up, if you'd like Miara. We can trade off nights - Dharia can stay up with us some nights, down with you others and if she's hungry, I'll bring her down."
Miara's teeth caught at her lower lip and her eyes got suspiciously bright but she only nodded at him energetically, finally spoke. "Yes, I -- we'd like that. Being closer to T'mic ... to you," she said with just a little flush in her cheeks and a smile. "And Tilara can get to know Palia and Dylan and even Jaivery a bit better and it'll be good for them to all to know Dharia as she gets bigger."
"Yeah. Everyone but Jaivery all in one place," P'draig said with an answering grin. "I'll touch base with Ista's headwoman, see if we can get it arranged," the brownrider said quietly. "For now, I'll get Dharia settled, then I'll head back to Ista, to start looking into it."
He reached across the table with his palm up and open and Miara reached back, curled her hand into his and smiled warmly. "Thank you, P'draig. It'll be good to have my family all around," she said earnestly then drew her hand away. He nodded once, then got up to walk Dharia back to the infirmary though she hardly needed to be there anymore. She was yawning, but sort of fighting sleep so he walked and bounced for a little while until she dropped off, then tucked her back into the cradle they'd set up for her near the warmest part of the room, drew the blankets up over her shoulders.
"Sleep well, little one," he told her quietly, "you'll be home soon." Paddy's hand ran lightly over her dark hair, then he straightened and walked out into the growing storm outside, to make quick headway for Ista. He had a lot of things to arrange, including something special for Palia's birthday the following day, not forgotten in all the crazy shuffle.