LOG: She's Infertile
Date: Day 25, Month 9, Turn 23
Location: Snowasis, High Reaches Weyr
Synopsis: K'del drunkenly celebrates the birth of his second son, insulting Taikrin along the way, despite Sho's best efforts to defuse the situation.
Snowasis, High Reaches Weyr
The Snowasis is rarely quiet, and even then, the high-ceilinged former weyr is kept from echoing by the fantastical booths tucked into its convoluted perimeter. The secluded seating spaces have been shaped from the truncated stalagmites that escaped the smoothing of the main floor, and are both softened and separated by colorful hangings that are thick and opaque enough to make each corner its own private nook.
Some of the smaller stalactites still roam the ceiling, their jagged teeth tracing a bumpy, inverted spine to the hearth. There, a thick rug with a low klah table and comfortable armchairs and couches sit, their upholstery and cushions changed sporadically to match the season: bright, light colors in the summer, fresh greens and yellows in the spring, warm autumnals in fall, and clear, rich hues for winter. Small tables litter the rest of the cavern, enough to fit up to four people each, while stools stand along the smooth wooden bar behind which is the passthrough window to the kitchen. Glass-paneled cabinetry behind the bar provides a clear view of the available liquors, the many colors reflecting the soft light of glows tucked into strategic niches around the cavern.
It's pretty late in the evening, by now, and those who have been around for a while may well have run into the Weyrleader, who is pretty enthusiastic in his celebrations. The rain outside doesn't seem to have daunted his excitement; right now, he stands at the bar telling the barkeep, slightly pissedly, that /he/, /K'del/ is a father again. Another son! "Guess that shows those people who're calling my infertile, right?" he says, distinctly less than sober.
Speaking of infertile! Taikrin makes a late entrance into the bar from the ledge, shaking herself rather like a dog to shed the clinging droplets of rain. She's disappointingly sober, which is apparently item #1 on the list of things to remedy: there's a beeline for the bar, and Taikrin is already gesturing for a drink before she realizes that she's parked herself more or less next to the Weyrleader. The drunken Weyrleader. Her error is realized too late for her to do other than force a smile (which rather resembles a grimace) and offer a husky, "'Evening, sir."
Sho had a late shift at the stables and is just now getting away and decided, hey, why not go get one of those sleepy drink things. Yeah, beer, that's it. The youth steps into the Snowasis and takes a look around, heading up to the bar to order a drink. He's a bit further away then the other two and only notices them after he's got his drink. He smiles as he steps over to the weyrleader and brownrider. "Hello Taikrin, sir." See, K'del gets a sir. But that's it.
K'del's normal reaction to Taikrin would probably be distinctly less exuberant, but today? Today is a special day. "Taikrin! Have a drink," he says, blinking delightedly at her, as though he's never had a moment's distaste. All is forgiven! That Sho is there, too, only seems to heighten his glee: "And Sho, too! Everyone's here. Did you hear? A son. Got another son! Drinks all 'round!" He probably hasn't noticed that the most recent glass sent towards him by the barkeep is actually full of water.
"Hey, Sho," Taikrin remarks cooly, though her intent gaze never really seems to leave K'del. There's a drink in her hand courtesy of one of the bartender's sublte assistance, and it's only after she raises her drink marginally in salute to the Weyrleader and takes a swig that she shifts her gaze away. "Son, eh? Congratulations, I reckon. Gonna be little'ns all around this turn, looks like." There's another flicker of a smile, though her tone is notably cautious.
Sho raises an eyebrow at K'dels obvious intoxication and...exuberance. As he realizes the why and wherefore, however, he smiles at the weyrleader. "Congratulations sir. That's good ta hear." He raises his beer in salute and takes a drink. Yep, definitely getting used to this stuff. "Glad ta know everything went good." His gaze flickers then past the weyrleader to Taikrin. "Hey Taikrin, I wanted ta ask ya a few things. About the new stablehand, Jolie." Yep, there goes the curious (dead) boy.
"/Lots/ of them," confirms K'del to Taikrin, that beaming smile never leaving his expression. "And two of 'em mine. Just goes to show, huh!" Exactly what it shows he doesn't exactly specify; he's too busy taking a long swallow of his water, which gets a dubious but not entirely suspicious glance. "Jolie?" Sho's question to the brownrider catches his attention, despite his attraction. "She's the one who likes to ride." Innuendo almost certainly intended.
Taikrin takes her ease against the bar, resting one elbow atop the counter so she can more easily keep an eye on both men. "Two more boys, fantastic." There's another salute with the glass, though she doesn't drink this time. "An' all those hatchlings, a'course. Szadath swears there's gonna be more'n thirty." Her gaze, keen and measuring, never leaves K'del, until-- "Jo-- who? New friend of yours?"
"Stablehand ya brought in a while back." Sho offers, taking another drink from his beer as he watches Taikrin and, while not flat out ignoring the weyrleader, it's obvious his curiosity is much more on what Taikrin might have to say at the moment. Although K'del's last comment does get a glance over from the boy. "Uh...not sure on that one." He says before looking back at Taikrin again.
K'del's remark is more reflective than anything, breezy in its drunken rambliness. "Pretty girl. Nightowl. Likes to ride. Did I say that already?" No matter. The Weyrleader, blinking, glances between his two companions, then salutes them with his glass, taking another long swig. Mm. Water.
"Stablehand I brought---" Taikrin echoes, eyebrows furrowing as she regards Sho from over the rim of her booze. "Hmm." For a moment there's silence, and her only movement is a deliberate shift of weight back against the counter. "Don't know about no stablehand, but I gave a girl a lift a couple of sevens back? Name might be Jolie, don't know as how I remember, though." It's all said very casually, as if it were no concern of hers: she even spends a few moments studying the ice in her drink. "What's it t'you, anyways? Thinkin' of takin' a ride with her, eh Sho?"
"No." Sho says quickly, giving Taikrin a strange look before shaking his head and taking another swig of his own beer. "No, actually I was jus' wondering how ya met her. I find it hard ta believe that you would've just given a stranger some ride ta the weyr. And ya did give her my name." Dangerous territory as he takes another swig of beer. One of these days Sho is going to be found shanked. The boy looks at the weyrleader again and gives the man the rest of his beer, ordering another one. "Here sir, I think ya might need this." Water? Pff. That's for sissy's.
'Takin' a ride with her' makes K'del outright chortle, as though this is the funniest thing he's ever heard. Meanwhile the bartender tries desperately to shake his head at Sho: no, don't do that, no, no, no. It is, of course, too late, and the Weyrleader accepts the beer with a frown, then tips it back as though it /were/ water. "Cheers!" he tells Sho, beaming. "Reckon you ought to give her a ride. Jolie. Don't care where she came from, she seems great. Nice girl. Nice."
"What, y'don't think I'd help a poor girl, down on her luck? Give her a ride? Kind of monster y'reckon I am, kid?!" Taikrin might be kidding-- but then again, she might not be. Aside from the hint of a smile playing around her lips, she appears to be coolly serious about the entire thing. "Maybe don't answer that. If y'want t'know, was a favor. Friend of a friend. No big." The remaining whiskey in her glass is shot in one quick motion with an echoed 'cheers', then slammed onto the bartop with perhaps more force than necessary. "Anyways, reckon th'Weyrleader's got th'right of it. You fancy a girl, go an' ask her if she wants a ride. 'Less maybe she's already /got/ a ride, yeah?" Less subtly, "Thought you was chasin' after Silarra, anyways."
Sho's cheeks actually tinge a bit red at the last comment from Taikrin and he shakes his head, "Maybe I am maybe I ain't. Besides, I was just askin'." There's a pause as Sho gets his new beer and a deep glare from the bartender, a time in which Sho thinks, then finally he just shakes his head. "Friend of a friend..." He mutters to himself quietly, as if trying to think of how..."You have friends?" He asks finally, glancing at Taikrin with a little grin. The boy rolls his eyes at the Weyrleaders comments, however. "Maybe you should go fer a ride sir. That way you could have another boy."
"Already got /two/," K'del tells Sho, proudly, as if he hadn't already said this at least once. The stablehand's beer is finished off in a matter of gulps, the glass set back on the bar with a wobbling hand that he doesn't especially seem to notice. "Teris is Taikrin's friend. Isn't that right, Taikrin? And Saliqa. And maybe Jolie. All the girls." Probably, this was much more relevant in his head. Probably. And; "Poor Szadath, not going to get to be a daddy. Shame. Everyone ought to get the chance. You, too, Sho."
At Sho's comment about friends, Taikrin actually reaches out to punch him, friendly-like, in the shoulder. "Watch it, you. Never /know/ what I might tell Silarra about." Of all things to get a reaction out of Taikrin, though, it's the listing of her 'friends'. Her mouth opens at Teris' name, and she flushes pinkly at Saliqa's. But it's the last part that takes what was a cute flush into something darker and uglier. "'Course he's gonna be a daddy. /We're/ gonna be a daddy. Told you, he reckons thirty eggs at least." The once-casual line of her body has gone rigid, and there's a hard note of insistence in her voice. "At /least/."
Sho may like playing with fire, but even he knows better then to say /some/ things. His eyes widen softly and he coughs, quickly glancing around before giving K'del his new beer. "Here, drink this and...uh...tell us about /your/ sons." He says. Sho can talk over him, really. "And I'm sure Szadath will be a daddy, I told ya that, right?" Well at least it's gotten him off the subject of Jolie for now. To much trying to save the Weyrleaders ass.
Though K'del /does/ take Sho's beer (much to the barkeeper's dismay), he's not done with the topic of Szadath's prospects of parenthood. "Don't be an idiot," he tells Taikrin, with a bright smile-- yay, alcohol. "Even /Iovniath/ only had twenty. And she didn't sterilise herself on firestone, right? Poor Szadath. Still, bet you and Teris had fun, huh?" Huh, huh, huh? "Now, /my/ sons-- they're perfect, they are."
"Yeah, well, that was on Cadejoth, ain't it?" Taikrin is treading dangerous ground, but simmering anger has made her bold. "Szadath, he reckons he did way more-- an' you know the two of 'em together's like throwin' booze on a bonfire." The words are light, but not an iota of tension has left her lean frame. "Iskiveth's fine an' she's gonna have loads of babies. /Loads/. Like th'boy says. Smart boy, our Sho." She must be angry indeed if Sho is the one coming up roses. "An' me an' Teris ain't nobodies business!"
The young stablehand sighs softly and shakes his head. As it just progresses Sho looks for an escape, his eyes falling on the beer he just gave K'del. With one swift handed swat he knocks the new beer off the bar and into K'del's lap. "Oh darn sir, looks like ya went and made a mess." He says, jumping to his feet. "I think maybe ya should go get that changed. And besides, shouldn't you be checking on that new boy?" It all comes out very rushed and quick as he practically tries to drag K'del out of the Snowasis. He likes the weyrleader, he likes him even better alive.
K'del's mouth opens to respond to Taikrin's insinuations, sudden anger flaring - visible in the flush of his cheeks (though they were already quite pink), and the sharp exhaled breath. But Sho's actions, unnoticed by the bronzerider until there is beer in his lap, So, instead, he squeaks, swatting vaguely at it with his hand, as though that will fix the problem. "You know full well Szadath is just a brown," he says, despite all of this, despite the fact that he's now on his feet, dripping. "And Iskiveth's infertile. Stop dreaming. Sho-- leave it. Just water. Just-- no big." Kind of.
Taikrin remains with her back pressed against the back of the bar counter, barely even flinching at Sho's clumsy attempt at a distraction and K'del's subsequent movement. "Sure is brown, last I checked," she agrees cooly, gaze still rivetted on the Weyrleader. "Caught her, too, when she went up. Reckon he knows better'n anyone else 'bout her makin' a clutch, since he /put it there/." She goes to raise her empty glass to her lips, scowls as it reaches the midway point, then drops it to the counter with another loud clatter. "If he's sure, an' she's sure, I reckon anyone who's arguin' with 'em ain't playin' with a full set." She glances at Sho, swiftly. "An' quit wastin' beer, Sho. Capital offence, where I used t'hang."
Sho's jaw drops at K'dels words about Szadath and Iskiveth. He's not very dragon knowledgeable, but even he knows some things, like that a brown and gold can really clutch. Sho reaches behind him to tug on his runner tail, annoyed as he's brushed off, but he finally just waves it off, orders another beer, and falls silent. One of them might die, he'll just help with the remains.
"Reckon he knows /nothing/," spits K'del. "And you, too." it's hard to tell exactly what has made him so angry, aside from, no doubt, the booze, and Taikrin's own reaction. And, perhaps, the general frustration of it all? Perhaps. He's still wiping at the beer on his trousers, but mostly, he's just staring at Taikrin. "She's infertile. She ate firestone, she's infertile. /Everyone/ knows that." Everyone who counts, anyway.
For a long, long moment, Taikrin goes completely still: it doesn't even look like she's breathing. Her face is a downright terrible shade of red, and the fingers on her right hand have made a white-knuckled fist. And then, like the passing of a storm, she lets out a short bark of ugly laughter and forces herself to recline against the bar again. "Shows what you know then, don't it. Guess they don't teach you listenin' t'your dragon in Weyrleader class, do they." She waves her now-unfisted hand at Sho. "Even th'kid here knows that much, and he can barely go five steps without doin' somethin' weird." The fingernails of that hand are subsequently inspected, her gaze finally leaving K'del altogether. "Bet you fifty marks Iskiveth's gonna end up with way too many eggs on th'sands."
Sho finds it odd that suddenly the area around the three of them has gotten very sparse. Oh wait, no, guess that's no surprise. Even the bartender slides Sho his new beer from a short distance away, not wanting to get to close to the fire. Taikrin's comment about him just receives a wave a hand as if to say it's true, then he chugs from his beer. He's fine just to let the two riders sort it out. If he needs to hit one of them with his mug he will.
"Fifty marks? /Fifty/ marks? You don't even have that many marks, and if you do, you've been doing something illegal." K'del's pretty confident of this, showing his scorn with a roll of his eyes and a wobbling glower. Admittedly, he probably doesn't have fifty marks, either. "Reckon I'd take that bet, though, if you did. Even if she /weren't/ infertile, she'd probably have /half/ what Iovniath did." Sho gets a glance, now, albeit a somewhat vague one, as though K'del has half forgotten the young stablehand. Then, sharply, "Reckon I'm going to go back and visit my /son/."
"Good thing I ain't gonna lose then-- reckon I don't even /need/ t'scrape 'em together. Sure I could make do, though. Know a couple bookies what'd be happy t'front me some marks on a sure bet." Sanguinely confident herself, Taikrin bares her teeth at K'del in a parody of a smile. "Well, not like I don't know where you live, so's I can come an' collect in a few sevendays. For Iskiveth an' her thirty-odd eggs." As if her point wasn't clear enough, she puts special emphasis on that number. "Yeah, sure. Best of luck with 'im." Babies -- human ones -- Taikrin really couldn't care less about. "Good luck with that." She rounds on Sho, abruptly: "An' /you/ make sure you ain't makin' none of /those/ with Silarra, you hear? Girl's too young t'be havin' babies. Too much booze ain't no excuse."
Another wave, this one to K'del as he talks about going to see his son. Sho takes another swig of his beer before Taikrin makes her comment and some of the beer sprays across the bar before he turns to look quickly at Taikrin, face flushed. "You...you..." He can't even formulate anything. "We ain't doing nothin'." Okay, maybe not the best ending, but it works.
K'del's ready to leave, but-- "/Deal/." He even looks terribly pleased with himself, staring at Taikrin the way he is. "Iskiveth clutches thirty eggs? You can have all those marks, no questions asked. /Deal/." And with that - and, okay, a vague nod in Sho's direction - the Weyrleader teeters away, off into the rain. To his son. Or, more likely: his bed. Or a wall somewhere.
Location: Snowasis, High Reaches Weyr
Synopsis: K'del drunkenly celebrates the birth of his second son, insulting Taikrin along the way, despite Sho's best efforts to defuse the situation.
Snowasis, High Reaches Weyr
The Snowasis is rarely quiet, and even then, the high-ceilinged former weyr is kept from echoing by the fantastical booths tucked into its convoluted perimeter. The secluded seating spaces have been shaped from the truncated stalagmites that escaped the smoothing of the main floor, and are both softened and separated by colorful hangings that are thick and opaque enough to make each corner its own private nook.
Some of the smaller stalactites still roam the ceiling, their jagged teeth tracing a bumpy, inverted spine to the hearth. There, a thick rug with a low klah table and comfortable armchairs and couches sit, their upholstery and cushions changed sporadically to match the season: bright, light colors in the summer, fresh greens and yellows in the spring, warm autumnals in fall, and clear, rich hues for winter. Small tables litter the rest of the cavern, enough to fit up to four people each, while stools stand along the smooth wooden bar behind which is the passthrough window to the kitchen. Glass-paneled cabinetry behind the bar provides a clear view of the available liquors, the many colors reflecting the soft light of glows tucked into strategic niches around the cavern.
It's pretty late in the evening, by now, and those who have been around for a while may well have run into the Weyrleader, who is pretty enthusiastic in his celebrations. The rain outside doesn't seem to have daunted his excitement; right now, he stands at the bar telling the barkeep, slightly pissedly, that /he/, /K'del/ is a father again. Another son! "Guess that shows those people who're calling my infertile, right?" he says, distinctly less than sober.
Speaking of infertile! Taikrin makes a late entrance into the bar from the ledge, shaking herself rather like a dog to shed the clinging droplets of rain. She's disappointingly sober, which is apparently item #1 on the list of things to remedy: there's a beeline for the bar, and Taikrin is already gesturing for a drink before she realizes that she's parked herself more or less next to the Weyrleader. The drunken Weyrleader. Her error is realized too late for her to do other than force a smile (which rather resembles a grimace) and offer a husky, "'Evening, sir."
Sho had a late shift at the stables and is just now getting away and decided, hey, why not go get one of those sleepy drink things. Yeah, beer, that's it. The youth steps into the Snowasis and takes a look around, heading up to the bar to order a drink. He's a bit further away then the other two and only notices them after he's got his drink. He smiles as he steps over to the weyrleader and brownrider. "Hello Taikrin, sir." See, K'del gets a sir. But that's it.
K'del's normal reaction to Taikrin would probably be distinctly less exuberant, but today? Today is a special day. "Taikrin! Have a drink," he says, blinking delightedly at her, as though he's never had a moment's distaste. All is forgiven! That Sho is there, too, only seems to heighten his glee: "And Sho, too! Everyone's here. Did you hear? A son. Got another son! Drinks all 'round!" He probably hasn't noticed that the most recent glass sent towards him by the barkeep is actually full of water.
"Hey, Sho," Taikrin remarks cooly, though her intent gaze never really seems to leave K'del. There's a drink in her hand courtesy of one of the bartender's sublte assistance, and it's only after she raises her drink marginally in salute to the Weyrleader and takes a swig that she shifts her gaze away. "Son, eh? Congratulations, I reckon. Gonna be little'ns all around this turn, looks like." There's another flicker of a smile, though her tone is notably cautious.
Sho raises an eyebrow at K'dels obvious intoxication and...exuberance. As he realizes the why and wherefore, however, he smiles at the weyrleader. "Congratulations sir. That's good ta hear." He raises his beer in salute and takes a drink. Yep, definitely getting used to this stuff. "Glad ta know everything went good." His gaze flickers then past the weyrleader to Taikrin. "Hey Taikrin, I wanted ta ask ya a few things. About the new stablehand, Jolie." Yep, there goes the curious (dead) boy.
"/Lots/ of them," confirms K'del to Taikrin, that beaming smile never leaving his expression. "And two of 'em mine. Just goes to show, huh!" Exactly what it shows he doesn't exactly specify; he's too busy taking a long swallow of his water, which gets a dubious but not entirely suspicious glance. "Jolie?" Sho's question to the brownrider catches his attention, despite his attraction. "She's the one who likes to ride." Innuendo almost certainly intended.
Taikrin takes her ease against the bar, resting one elbow atop the counter so she can more easily keep an eye on both men. "Two more boys, fantastic." There's another salute with the glass, though she doesn't drink this time. "An' all those hatchlings, a'course. Szadath swears there's gonna be more'n thirty." Her gaze, keen and measuring, never leaves K'del, until-- "Jo-- who? New friend of yours?"
"Stablehand ya brought in a while back." Sho offers, taking another drink from his beer as he watches Taikrin and, while not flat out ignoring the weyrleader, it's obvious his curiosity is much more on what Taikrin might have to say at the moment. Although K'del's last comment does get a glance over from the boy. "Uh...not sure on that one." He says before looking back at Taikrin again.
K'del's remark is more reflective than anything, breezy in its drunken rambliness. "Pretty girl. Nightowl. Likes to ride. Did I say that already?" No matter. The Weyrleader, blinking, glances between his two companions, then salutes them with his glass, taking another long swig. Mm. Water.
"Stablehand I brought---" Taikrin echoes, eyebrows furrowing as she regards Sho from over the rim of her booze. "Hmm." For a moment there's silence, and her only movement is a deliberate shift of weight back against the counter. "Don't know about no stablehand, but I gave a girl a lift a couple of sevens back? Name might be Jolie, don't know as how I remember, though." It's all said very casually, as if it were no concern of hers: she even spends a few moments studying the ice in her drink. "What's it t'you, anyways? Thinkin' of takin' a ride with her, eh Sho?"
"No." Sho says quickly, giving Taikrin a strange look before shaking his head and taking another swig of his own beer. "No, actually I was jus' wondering how ya met her. I find it hard ta believe that you would've just given a stranger some ride ta the weyr. And ya did give her my name." Dangerous territory as he takes another swig of beer. One of these days Sho is going to be found shanked. The boy looks at the weyrleader again and gives the man the rest of his beer, ordering another one. "Here sir, I think ya might need this." Water? Pff. That's for sissy's.
'Takin' a ride with her' makes K'del outright chortle, as though this is the funniest thing he's ever heard. Meanwhile the bartender tries desperately to shake his head at Sho: no, don't do that, no, no, no. It is, of course, too late, and the Weyrleader accepts the beer with a frown, then tips it back as though it /were/ water. "Cheers!" he tells Sho, beaming. "Reckon you ought to give her a ride. Jolie. Don't care where she came from, she seems great. Nice girl. Nice."
"What, y'don't think I'd help a poor girl, down on her luck? Give her a ride? Kind of monster y'reckon I am, kid?!" Taikrin might be kidding-- but then again, she might not be. Aside from the hint of a smile playing around her lips, she appears to be coolly serious about the entire thing. "Maybe don't answer that. If y'want t'know, was a favor. Friend of a friend. No big." The remaining whiskey in her glass is shot in one quick motion with an echoed 'cheers', then slammed onto the bartop with perhaps more force than necessary. "Anyways, reckon th'Weyrleader's got th'right of it. You fancy a girl, go an' ask her if she wants a ride. 'Less maybe she's already /got/ a ride, yeah?" Less subtly, "Thought you was chasin' after Silarra, anyways."
Sho's cheeks actually tinge a bit red at the last comment from Taikrin and he shakes his head, "Maybe I am maybe I ain't. Besides, I was just askin'." There's a pause as Sho gets his new beer and a deep glare from the bartender, a time in which Sho thinks, then finally he just shakes his head. "Friend of a friend..." He mutters to himself quietly, as if trying to think of how..."You have friends?" He asks finally, glancing at Taikrin with a little grin. The boy rolls his eyes at the Weyrleaders comments, however. "Maybe you should go fer a ride sir. That way you could have another boy."
"Already got /two/," K'del tells Sho, proudly, as if he hadn't already said this at least once. The stablehand's beer is finished off in a matter of gulps, the glass set back on the bar with a wobbling hand that he doesn't especially seem to notice. "Teris is Taikrin's friend. Isn't that right, Taikrin? And Saliqa. And maybe Jolie. All the girls." Probably, this was much more relevant in his head. Probably. And; "Poor Szadath, not going to get to be a daddy. Shame. Everyone ought to get the chance. You, too, Sho."
At Sho's comment about friends, Taikrin actually reaches out to punch him, friendly-like, in the shoulder. "Watch it, you. Never /know/ what I might tell Silarra about." Of all things to get a reaction out of Taikrin, though, it's the listing of her 'friends'. Her mouth opens at Teris' name, and she flushes pinkly at Saliqa's. But it's the last part that takes what was a cute flush into something darker and uglier. "'Course he's gonna be a daddy. /We're/ gonna be a daddy. Told you, he reckons thirty eggs at least." The once-casual line of her body has gone rigid, and there's a hard note of insistence in her voice. "At /least/."
Sho may like playing with fire, but even he knows better then to say /some/ things. His eyes widen softly and he coughs, quickly glancing around before giving K'del his new beer. "Here, drink this and...uh...tell us about /your/ sons." He says. Sho can talk over him, really. "And I'm sure Szadath will be a daddy, I told ya that, right?" Well at least it's gotten him off the subject of Jolie for now. To much trying to save the Weyrleaders ass.
Though K'del /does/ take Sho's beer (much to the barkeeper's dismay), he's not done with the topic of Szadath's prospects of parenthood. "Don't be an idiot," he tells Taikrin, with a bright smile-- yay, alcohol. "Even /Iovniath/ only had twenty. And she didn't sterilise herself on firestone, right? Poor Szadath. Still, bet you and Teris had fun, huh?" Huh, huh, huh? "Now, /my/ sons-- they're perfect, they are."
"Yeah, well, that was on Cadejoth, ain't it?" Taikrin is treading dangerous ground, but simmering anger has made her bold. "Szadath, he reckons he did way more-- an' you know the two of 'em together's like throwin' booze on a bonfire." The words are light, but not an iota of tension has left her lean frame. "Iskiveth's fine an' she's gonna have loads of babies. /Loads/. Like th'boy says. Smart boy, our Sho." She must be angry indeed if Sho is the one coming up roses. "An' me an' Teris ain't nobodies business!"
The young stablehand sighs softly and shakes his head. As it just progresses Sho looks for an escape, his eyes falling on the beer he just gave K'del. With one swift handed swat he knocks the new beer off the bar and into K'del's lap. "Oh darn sir, looks like ya went and made a mess." He says, jumping to his feet. "I think maybe ya should go get that changed. And besides, shouldn't you be checking on that new boy?" It all comes out very rushed and quick as he practically tries to drag K'del out of the Snowasis. He likes the weyrleader, he likes him even better alive.
K'del's mouth opens to respond to Taikrin's insinuations, sudden anger flaring - visible in the flush of his cheeks (though they were already quite pink), and the sharp exhaled breath. But Sho's actions, unnoticed by the bronzerider until there is beer in his lap, So, instead, he squeaks, swatting vaguely at it with his hand, as though that will fix the problem. "You know full well Szadath is just a brown," he says, despite all of this, despite the fact that he's now on his feet, dripping. "And Iskiveth's infertile. Stop dreaming. Sho-- leave it. Just water. Just-- no big." Kind of.
Taikrin remains with her back pressed against the back of the bar counter, barely even flinching at Sho's clumsy attempt at a distraction and K'del's subsequent movement. "Sure is brown, last I checked," she agrees cooly, gaze still rivetted on the Weyrleader. "Caught her, too, when she went up. Reckon he knows better'n anyone else 'bout her makin' a clutch, since he /put it there/." She goes to raise her empty glass to her lips, scowls as it reaches the midway point, then drops it to the counter with another loud clatter. "If he's sure, an' she's sure, I reckon anyone who's arguin' with 'em ain't playin' with a full set." She glances at Sho, swiftly. "An' quit wastin' beer, Sho. Capital offence, where I used t'hang."
Sho's jaw drops at K'dels words about Szadath and Iskiveth. He's not very dragon knowledgeable, but even he knows some things, like that a brown and gold can really clutch. Sho reaches behind him to tug on his runner tail, annoyed as he's brushed off, but he finally just waves it off, orders another beer, and falls silent. One of them might die, he'll just help with the remains.
"Reckon he knows /nothing/," spits K'del. "And you, too." it's hard to tell exactly what has made him so angry, aside from, no doubt, the booze, and Taikrin's own reaction. And, perhaps, the general frustration of it all? Perhaps. He's still wiping at the beer on his trousers, but mostly, he's just staring at Taikrin. "She's infertile. She ate firestone, she's infertile. /Everyone/ knows that." Everyone who counts, anyway.
For a long, long moment, Taikrin goes completely still: it doesn't even look like she's breathing. Her face is a downright terrible shade of red, and the fingers on her right hand have made a white-knuckled fist. And then, like the passing of a storm, she lets out a short bark of ugly laughter and forces herself to recline against the bar again. "Shows what you know then, don't it. Guess they don't teach you listenin' t'your dragon in Weyrleader class, do they." She waves her now-unfisted hand at Sho. "Even th'kid here knows that much, and he can barely go five steps without doin' somethin' weird." The fingernails of that hand are subsequently inspected, her gaze finally leaving K'del altogether. "Bet you fifty marks Iskiveth's gonna end up with way too many eggs on th'sands."
Sho finds it odd that suddenly the area around the three of them has gotten very sparse. Oh wait, no, guess that's no surprise. Even the bartender slides Sho his new beer from a short distance away, not wanting to get to close to the fire. Taikrin's comment about him just receives a wave a hand as if to say it's true, then he chugs from his beer. He's fine just to let the two riders sort it out. If he needs to hit one of them with his mug he will.
"Fifty marks? /Fifty/ marks? You don't even have that many marks, and if you do, you've been doing something illegal." K'del's pretty confident of this, showing his scorn with a roll of his eyes and a wobbling glower. Admittedly, he probably doesn't have fifty marks, either. "Reckon I'd take that bet, though, if you did. Even if she /weren't/ infertile, she'd probably have /half/ what Iovniath did." Sho gets a glance, now, albeit a somewhat vague one, as though K'del has half forgotten the young stablehand. Then, sharply, "Reckon I'm going to go back and visit my /son/."
"Good thing I ain't gonna lose then-- reckon I don't even /need/ t'scrape 'em together. Sure I could make do, though. Know a couple bookies what'd be happy t'front me some marks on a sure bet." Sanguinely confident herself, Taikrin bares her teeth at K'del in a parody of a smile. "Well, not like I don't know where you live, so's I can come an' collect in a few sevendays. For Iskiveth an' her thirty-odd eggs." As if her point wasn't clear enough, she puts special emphasis on that number. "Yeah, sure. Best of luck with 'im." Babies -- human ones -- Taikrin really couldn't care less about. "Good luck with that." She rounds on Sho, abruptly: "An' /you/ make sure you ain't makin' none of /those/ with Silarra, you hear? Girl's too young t'be havin' babies. Too much booze ain't no excuse."
Another wave, this one to K'del as he talks about going to see his son. Sho takes another swig of his beer before Taikrin makes her comment and some of the beer sprays across the bar before he turns to look quickly at Taikrin, face flushed. "You...you..." He can't even formulate anything. "We ain't doing nothin'." Okay, maybe not the best ending, but it works.
K'del's ready to leave, but-- "/Deal/." He even looks terribly pleased with himself, staring at Taikrin the way he is. "Iskiveth clutches thirty eggs? You can have all those marks, no questions asked. /Deal/." And with that - and, okay, a vague nod in Sho's direction - the Weyrleader teeters away, off into the rain. To his son. Or, more likely: his bed. Or a wall somewhere.