Log: A Snowy Walk With Teris
Who: Milani, Teris
When: It is a winter night, 19:27 of day 11, month 12, turn 22 of Interval 10.
Where: Lake Shore, Fort Weyr
What: Milani and Teris have an incredibly civil conversation about some fairly sensitive topics.
Fresh snow on the ground just past supper time finds the headwoman out walking in it, bundled up appropriately against the chill, though the stars peek out of what's now a clear sky. Breath plumes in the freezing air and Milani's got her hands tucked away in her pockets as she walks along, humming tunelessly off and on, footsteps crunching in the coating of flakes on the ground.
As Iskiveth wings her way toward the lake, it's clear that she hasn't been suffering any terrible side effects in the wake of her less than brilliant moments of impulsiveness. In fact, she seems to be doing rather well and it better spirits than she has been if the excited screeching bugle she sounds before landing further down the lakeshore means anything. Teris takes a little while longer to arrive, bundled up well but looking completely at ease in the snow. It suits her icy nature, after all. "Headwoman," she greets as politeness dictates when she realizes who that is.
Milani looks up as Iskiveth screeches in overhead and there's a little smile on the headwoman's face watching the gold in the darkness. Her head turns at Teris' greeting and she nods, breath sort of bobbing visibly with the movement of her head. "Good evening, Teris," Milani says pleasantly. "Nice night, isn't it? Pretty soon the lake ought to be frozen enough for skating."
"It's pleasant," allows the weyrling. "I admit I expected most people to have stayed in after supper, though." Teris casts a look toward the shadowed gold but since Iskiveth isn't doing anything she shouldn't be for now, her attention returns to Milani. "I haven't skated for turns, honestly. What has you out here at this hour? I've always taken you for the daylight sort."
"I take a walk almost every evening," Milani relates with a little tilt of her head to the side. "And I come out to skate or swim at night, depending on the season. It's fun to zoom across the ice by moonlight without you know, bumping into lots of other people out." Her gaze follows Teris' to Iskiveth and returns. "Did you used to skate a fair bit?"
"Ah," Teris murmurs, not embarrassed by her clear lack of attention given to what the Headwoman does and when. "I swim at night sometimes," she admits but of the skating she has to shake her head. "Not any more or less than the other kids did. Just something you do, isn't it? Once the lake freezes." The weyrling readjusts her scarf slightly, then continues along the same polite vein, "Are you well? I don't have the chance to ask very often." Or she just doesn't, you know, take advantage of any chances she has.
"I love to skate. Love the speed. Though I don't need it as much as I used to when I was younger to burn off energy," Milani explains and nods forward. "Want to keep walking?" The question earns a little smile. "I am, thank you. It's interesting work to be taking inventory of the lower caverns, who's living where, reconciling it with what we have on record. I mean, we do that regularly of course, but I think it'll be good to get it sorted out for when they finish the construction." One gloved hand gestures in that direction then slides back into the headwoman's pocket. "And you? You and Iskiveth are doing okay?"
"Sure, of course," for the walking. Teris moves then with the intent of falling into step with Milani, gloved hands crossing loosely across her thin frame. "Good excuse to be nosy," she offers but not as though it's a bad thing. A perk, rather. "We're well enough. She seems to be coming back to her usual self. More serious during lessons, though." Teris can't really complain about that. It's kind of nice. Then, abruptly, but like it's just an everyday sort of question, "Are you pregnant yet?"
"Not really," Milani says with a shake of her head about nosiness. "Just need to figure out where some things are. It helps to keep the records up to date so that when some one is looking for a side table, if someone else took an 'extra' we know it's in that room and can negotiate about freeing it up." She walks along somewhere between a comfortable easy pace and something a bit brisker, but not so fast that conversation can't keep happening. "I'm glad she's recovering. That can't have been easy or fun." The whole incident. The question so abruptly put slides Milani's gaze over toward Teris and she considers the weyrling for a moment, then lifts her shoulders, lets them drop. "No."
"I'm perfectly aware of the reasons behind it, Milani," Teris assures her like she thinks that this fact has been overlooked somehow. Her attempt at being humorous or, at least, not so terribly serious isn't dwelled upon and she doesn't seem to care that it wasn't really picked up on. Few people probably realize when it's happening where she's concerned. "I'm sure neither of us will ever live it down." Brief frown for that but then she's offering, "That's a shame. Though not surprising."
"I'm sure you're not the only weyrlings that's ever been a problem with," Milani attempts some form of reassurance. "I mean, what dragon /wouldn't/ want to flame right?" The headwoman only nods at the last after a moment. "It might have been a little soon to have started trying again. So I'm not too worried. I don't think you really want me to go into the details of my healer appointments, do you?" Brows arch a little and there's a little tug at the corner of Milani's mouth. Her turn to try to make some humor.
"I'll make sure to tell that to the Weyrleader. He... was less than pleased." Teris puts it rather lightly but even though he's involved in the rest of what she says, she makes it sound as though it's another person somehow. "I don't think it's you, for what it's worth. I'm not sure any amount of time will be enough to make it work. Not with him." Despite some undercurrent of something else, something less describable, Teris is making an effort at sounding gentle and understanding. Which might be odd where she's concerned all on its own.
"I kind of guessed that from the broken hand," Milani says a little dryly and again her mouth quirks a bit. "Sometimes I think he still struggles with the whole Weyrleader gig." Her own tone remains on the lighter side, keeping it conversational. Teris' last doesn't seem to take her aback either. "It's possible. In the end, only time will tell. It'll be ... a really big disappointment for him if he can't have a family of his own."
"I don't understand why men do stupid stuff like that." Teris shakes her head, perplexed all over again now that she's thinking about it. "I do, too. But he's doing well enough, all things considered." She must be in a generous mood. That or she had a few glasses of wine before she came out here. It's the last that makes the weyrling actually smile. One of those genuine smiles, too, though not overly large. "Even if it doesn't work out the way it's supposed to, you could still give him the family he wants, you know. Find some tall, handsome blond down south or something. He'd never have to know it wasn't really his."
"It's all the manliness," Milani posits thoughtfully. "You know, have to do /something/ with it. Though to be honest, I've seen people who just plain have a temper do it too. Not that Kas usually has a temper problem," she amends with a little frown that's shaken off a moment later. "He is, at that," Milani agrees with a note of fondness in her voice that's most likely for the Weyrleader. "He's learned a lot since he first stepped up." Teris' smile seems to puzzle Milani just a little but she laughs, shakes her head. "I couldn't be that dishonest. It'd be living a lie."
"I can't abide men with tempers like that," Teris says, somewhat more seriously than she's been up until this point. She is B'mel's daughter, after all. And she makes no secret of her low opinion of him. "K'del isn't like that," she can agree readily enough though any fondness that might be in her own voice is tempered by a forced neutrality. "I suppose if you'd rather he be miserable and childless for the rest of his life, that's for you to decide." Her smile is gone now. "I would do it for him were I... more like you." The sort to have children, presumably.
"Can't blame you at all. It's not something I'd put up with either," Milani says with a shake of her head. "And no, he isn't. He just gets ... frustrated." Again she regards Teris sidelong for a moment or two. "The thing is Teris, that lies have a habit of outing themselves, you know. I don't think it would make Kas very happy to be lied to and then find out sometime. In fact, I think it'd make him more miserable in the long run. So for now, I think the best thing is just to wait and see."
"I've lied about plenty of things. No one's been the wiser. Except for Iskiveth perhaps." Teris looks at where the pointy young queen is digging at the edge of the water. "You don't have a dragon to find and share all of your secrets." But at this point Teris seems content enough, despite a certain tension, to leave it at that and lapse into an easy sort of silence.
"I'm not really much of a liar," Milani says quietly and with sympathy, notes: "I hope she learns to be a little bit more circumspect with your secrets. Maybe that's something she'll grow out of a little bit. It seems to happen a lot that they you know, blurt, when they're younger." She too lapses into silence but minus the tension, just walking along until they run out of shoreline and it's time to turn around and head back. "I'm looking forward to seeing how the whole construction turns out. It seems like there's always something hidden behind a wall or a rock somewhere at the Reaches."
Teris makes a sound like a snort, not quite a laugh, but if she had something to say, she doesn't. Instead she offers sardonically, "Yes, thank you for your little insight into dragonkind." As though on cue, Iskiveth has tired of whatever it was she was doing and is ambling her way closer with wings mantled just enough to make herself look larger than she is. She doesn't pay the headwoman much mind but she angles herself to get in Teris' way as though she'll herd her back toward their weyr. "Hopefully there's no more disaster hiding behind any of those walls or rocks." It's what she's supposed to say. "Anyway, have a pleasant evening, Headwoman." It's time for her to go, evidently, and she doesn't seem to feel the need to wait around for some sort of acknowledgement to do so.
"I always feel bad for the ones who wind up with really embarrassing things babbled around so that even the lower caverns-folk know," Milani says sincerely. She's calm as Iskiveth makes her way over, regards the young gold curiously, then nods at Teris' farewell. "I hope there isn't either. I'd rather have our secret passages be fun, than dangerous," the headwoman remarks. "You too, Teris," she concludes and lets the goldrider get a bit of a head start, given that they're actually heading in the same direction.
When: It is a winter night, 19:27 of day 11, month 12, turn 22 of Interval 10.
Where: Lake Shore, Fort Weyr
What: Milani and Teris have an incredibly civil conversation about some fairly sensitive topics.
Fresh snow on the ground just past supper time finds the headwoman out walking in it, bundled up appropriately against the chill, though the stars peek out of what's now a clear sky. Breath plumes in the freezing air and Milani's got her hands tucked away in her pockets as she walks along, humming tunelessly off and on, footsteps crunching in the coating of flakes on the ground.
As Iskiveth wings her way toward the lake, it's clear that she hasn't been suffering any terrible side effects in the wake of her less than brilliant moments of impulsiveness. In fact, she seems to be doing rather well and it better spirits than she has been if the excited screeching bugle she sounds before landing further down the lakeshore means anything. Teris takes a little while longer to arrive, bundled up well but looking completely at ease in the snow. It suits her icy nature, after all. "Headwoman," she greets as politeness dictates when she realizes who that is.
Milani looks up as Iskiveth screeches in overhead and there's a little smile on the headwoman's face watching the gold in the darkness. Her head turns at Teris' greeting and she nods, breath sort of bobbing visibly with the movement of her head. "Good evening, Teris," Milani says pleasantly. "Nice night, isn't it? Pretty soon the lake ought to be frozen enough for skating."
"It's pleasant," allows the weyrling. "I admit I expected most people to have stayed in after supper, though." Teris casts a look toward the shadowed gold but since Iskiveth isn't doing anything she shouldn't be for now, her attention returns to Milani. "I haven't skated for turns, honestly. What has you out here at this hour? I've always taken you for the daylight sort."
"I take a walk almost every evening," Milani relates with a little tilt of her head to the side. "And I come out to skate or swim at night, depending on the season. It's fun to zoom across the ice by moonlight without you know, bumping into lots of other people out." Her gaze follows Teris' to Iskiveth and returns. "Did you used to skate a fair bit?"
"Ah," Teris murmurs, not embarrassed by her clear lack of attention given to what the Headwoman does and when. "I swim at night sometimes," she admits but of the skating she has to shake her head. "Not any more or less than the other kids did. Just something you do, isn't it? Once the lake freezes." The weyrling readjusts her scarf slightly, then continues along the same polite vein, "Are you well? I don't have the chance to ask very often." Or she just doesn't, you know, take advantage of any chances she has.
"I love to skate. Love the speed. Though I don't need it as much as I used to when I was younger to burn off energy," Milani explains and nods forward. "Want to keep walking?" The question earns a little smile. "I am, thank you. It's interesting work to be taking inventory of the lower caverns, who's living where, reconciling it with what we have on record. I mean, we do that regularly of course, but I think it'll be good to get it sorted out for when they finish the construction." One gloved hand gestures in that direction then slides back into the headwoman's pocket. "And you? You and Iskiveth are doing okay?"
"Sure, of course," for the walking. Teris moves then with the intent of falling into step with Milani, gloved hands crossing loosely across her thin frame. "Good excuse to be nosy," she offers but not as though it's a bad thing. A perk, rather. "We're well enough. She seems to be coming back to her usual self. More serious during lessons, though." Teris can't really complain about that. It's kind of nice. Then, abruptly, but like it's just an everyday sort of question, "Are you pregnant yet?"
"Not really," Milani says with a shake of her head about nosiness. "Just need to figure out where some things are. It helps to keep the records up to date so that when some one is looking for a side table, if someone else took an 'extra' we know it's in that room and can negotiate about freeing it up." She walks along somewhere between a comfortable easy pace and something a bit brisker, but not so fast that conversation can't keep happening. "I'm glad she's recovering. That can't have been easy or fun." The whole incident. The question so abruptly put slides Milani's gaze over toward Teris and she considers the weyrling for a moment, then lifts her shoulders, lets them drop. "No."
"I'm perfectly aware of the reasons behind it, Milani," Teris assures her like she thinks that this fact has been overlooked somehow. Her attempt at being humorous or, at least, not so terribly serious isn't dwelled upon and she doesn't seem to care that it wasn't really picked up on. Few people probably realize when it's happening where she's concerned. "I'm sure neither of us will ever live it down." Brief frown for that but then she's offering, "That's a shame. Though not surprising."
"I'm sure you're not the only weyrlings that's ever been a problem with," Milani attempts some form of reassurance. "I mean, what dragon /wouldn't/ want to flame right?" The headwoman only nods at the last after a moment. "It might have been a little soon to have started trying again. So I'm not too worried. I don't think you really want me to go into the details of my healer appointments, do you?" Brows arch a little and there's a little tug at the corner of Milani's mouth. Her turn to try to make some humor.
"I'll make sure to tell that to the Weyrleader. He... was less than pleased." Teris puts it rather lightly but even though he's involved in the rest of what she says, she makes it sound as though it's another person somehow. "I don't think it's you, for what it's worth. I'm not sure any amount of time will be enough to make it work. Not with him." Despite some undercurrent of something else, something less describable, Teris is making an effort at sounding gentle and understanding. Which might be odd where she's concerned all on its own.
"I kind of guessed that from the broken hand," Milani says a little dryly and again her mouth quirks a bit. "Sometimes I think he still struggles with the whole Weyrleader gig." Her own tone remains on the lighter side, keeping it conversational. Teris' last doesn't seem to take her aback either. "It's possible. In the end, only time will tell. It'll be ... a really big disappointment for him if he can't have a family of his own."
"I don't understand why men do stupid stuff like that." Teris shakes her head, perplexed all over again now that she's thinking about it. "I do, too. But he's doing well enough, all things considered." She must be in a generous mood. That or she had a few glasses of wine before she came out here. It's the last that makes the weyrling actually smile. One of those genuine smiles, too, though not overly large. "Even if it doesn't work out the way it's supposed to, you could still give him the family he wants, you know. Find some tall, handsome blond down south or something. He'd never have to know it wasn't really his."
"It's all the manliness," Milani posits thoughtfully. "You know, have to do /something/ with it. Though to be honest, I've seen people who just plain have a temper do it too. Not that Kas usually has a temper problem," she amends with a little frown that's shaken off a moment later. "He is, at that," Milani agrees with a note of fondness in her voice that's most likely for the Weyrleader. "He's learned a lot since he first stepped up." Teris' smile seems to puzzle Milani just a little but she laughs, shakes her head. "I couldn't be that dishonest. It'd be living a lie."
"I can't abide men with tempers like that," Teris says, somewhat more seriously than she's been up until this point. She is B'mel's daughter, after all. And she makes no secret of her low opinion of him. "K'del isn't like that," she can agree readily enough though any fondness that might be in her own voice is tempered by a forced neutrality. "I suppose if you'd rather he be miserable and childless for the rest of his life, that's for you to decide." Her smile is gone now. "I would do it for him were I... more like you." The sort to have children, presumably.
"Can't blame you at all. It's not something I'd put up with either," Milani says with a shake of her head. "And no, he isn't. He just gets ... frustrated." Again she regards Teris sidelong for a moment or two. "The thing is Teris, that lies have a habit of outing themselves, you know. I don't think it would make Kas very happy to be lied to and then find out sometime. In fact, I think it'd make him more miserable in the long run. So for now, I think the best thing is just to wait and see."
"I've lied about plenty of things. No one's been the wiser. Except for Iskiveth perhaps." Teris looks at where the pointy young queen is digging at the edge of the water. "You don't have a dragon to find and share all of your secrets." But at this point Teris seems content enough, despite a certain tension, to leave it at that and lapse into an easy sort of silence.
"I'm not really much of a liar," Milani says quietly and with sympathy, notes: "I hope she learns to be a little bit more circumspect with your secrets. Maybe that's something she'll grow out of a little bit. It seems to happen a lot that they you know, blurt, when they're younger." She too lapses into silence but minus the tension, just walking along until they run out of shoreline and it's time to turn around and head back. "I'm looking forward to seeing how the whole construction turns out. It seems like there's always something hidden behind a wall or a rock somewhere at the Reaches."
Teris makes a sound like a snort, not quite a laugh, but if she had something to say, she doesn't. Instead she offers sardonically, "Yes, thank you for your little insight into dragonkind." As though on cue, Iskiveth has tired of whatever it was she was doing and is ambling her way closer with wings mantled just enough to make herself look larger than she is. She doesn't pay the headwoman much mind but she angles herself to get in Teris' way as though she'll herd her back toward their weyr. "Hopefully there's no more disaster hiding behind any of those walls or rocks." It's what she's supposed to say. "Anyway, have a pleasant evening, Headwoman." It's time for her to go, evidently, and she doesn't seem to feel the need to wait around for some sort of acknowledgement to do so.
"I always feel bad for the ones who wind up with really embarrassing things babbled around so that even the lower caverns-folk know," Milani says sincerely. She's calm as Iskiveth makes her way over, regards the young gold curiously, then nods at Teris' farewell. "I hope there isn't either. I'd rather have our secret passages be fun, than dangerous," the headwoman remarks. "You too, Teris," she concludes and lets the goldrider get a bit of a head start, given that they're actually heading in the same direction.