12/5/2002

10:38 PM

Logfile from Taire.

 

Circular Grove Weyr

Its entrance shaded by cliff's overhang, the weyr itself is illuminated by a handful of glows that sit within stone grooves, carved out of the upper walls whose hue matches the paleness of the adjoining ledge.  The effect is one of a forest of spotlights, brightening the middle of the cavern while keeping the corners nestled in darkness.  Perhaps aided by ancient hands, the entire expanse has been sculpted into a near-perfect circle.  Albeit quite immense, there is no formal dragon couch but rather a large lining of sweet rushes and furs situated in the center.  Along the wall directly opposite the opening is the archway leading to the rider's 'alcove'.  To arch's right stands a square stone 'pedestal' about 3 feet in height that seems to have been carved directly from the stone to which it is still firmly attached.

You see Neijin, Rei, and Eidan here.

N'cion is here.

Obvious exits:

Ledge

 

Taire isn't exactly looking her most pretty at the moment. In face, she isn't even her usual cute. Instead, she is just one /big/ ball of slit-eyed anger. Not to mention annoyed and looking as though she is about to sink her teeth into the nearest person that speaks. Better than biting a head off? "I want this gone." *growl*

 

N'cion skids his way in from the ledge, making a running dash towards Taire.  "Taaaaaiiiiiire!"  Bearded face in a panic.  New father, go figure.  Managing to skid himself to a halt before he crashes into the bed, Menace quickly seeks to grab one of Taire's hands.  For comfort.  Hers or his?  Does it matter?  "How are you feeling?" he says with an exaggeratedly cheerful facade.

 

Ohhhh, would you look at that. Menace. Taire's slit eyes manage to get even more squinty. Do you sense murder? And not a birth? If she had nails, the squeeze she gives him right on back more than likely would have broke skin. A breath later and then all the scowling is gone, and there is nothing more than wide-eyes and sheer terror. "Menace! It wants out!"

 

N'cion grits his teeth against the pain and politely squeezes back.  Mayhaps a tad harder than prudent.  "That's sort of the idea, dear.  If you had been stuck in that cramped a space for nine whole months, I'm sure you'd like a bit of a reprieve and some breathing room."  He pantomimes breathing deeply. "Deep breaths, Taire, deep breaths.  Just breathe.  If it wants out, let it out."  he says, in a tone that was probably meant to be comforting.  Menace fails.

 

Taire is somewhat scared. She isn't exactly used to this sort of pain, and shows it as suddenly her eyes open ever wider as a contraction takes her form. "But... But... what if it isn't done yet? What if something happens? What if-" And suddenly the world gets awfully wet down there at the business end of things. Very wet. Oh my.

 

"I'm sure it is...done."  Menace mouths platitudes as he breaks out into a cold sweat.  What if it isn't?  What if it's...deformed?  Or dead?  Or /female/?  (Just kidding).  "Nurtured to ripeness.  And nothing will happen!  It's...oh my.  Got any more towels?"  he looks around worriedly.  "Take it easy, Taire.  This can't be any messier than an ovine birthing."  Farm hick childhood coming to the fore.

 

"I'm not an ovine!" comes the immediate protest. Taire pushes up onto her elbows to scowl at Menace. And a breath later, "Messier?" Oh great, she is going to need some new sheets now. A grunt and some rather un-pretty panting later, she continues, "But what if it looks like my mother? All red and screaming? Or me? Oh, Faranth, Menace? What if that kid is exactly like me? It can't come out!" First she wants it out, now she wants it in. *groan*

 

"Well, there are some similarities..."  Menace says thoughtfully.  "Err.  I mean.  In the birthing process! Not that you're ovine-like.  Though you can be somewhat wooly-headed at times..."  Not the time for puns, boy.  "Ovine births are really messy.  You can get covered up to the elbows in blood and birthing fluids.  And sometimes they kick, too.  Break the occasional rib."  he wallows reminiscently in nostalgia. 

"Um.  I'm sure it'll come out red and screaming, they usually do, but I hope your mother doesn't look as scrunched up as a baby does... Remind me not to meet your family."  he notes.  "It won't look like you, Taire!  It's too young!  Any similarities are probably going to have to take years to come out.  And if we take care in shaping the impressionable personality, hopefully it'll take more after me than you."

 

Sukie help her if the thing comes out covered in hair. Talk about your traumatizing first delivery. "Ohhh, will you just shut up with the ovine remarks and get me a healer up here before I-" *GROAN* *breath-breath-breath* "Ohhhhhhh, Menace. It think the baby is coming." She turns terror-filed eyes onto the fellow greenrider.

 

N'cion jumps to his feet.  "I'll get one right now!"  He takes a step, and then whirls around.  "It is, it is?!"  He takes a step back towards Taire before turning around again.  "Wait, I'll get the healer first!"  A half-step this time, and then stumbling back to the bed.  "Lemme see, lemme see, lemme see!"  he says eagerly, peering.  "Whoa. ..urrrgh...that's ugly..."  he mutters, turning slightly green around the gills.  "Got a bucket around here...?"

 

Taire is immediately kicking and pushing at Menace as he looks down at her business end. "No! NO! NO!!! Don't look!" And then he does, and she actually flushes with embarrassment despite the fact she is already flushed with the exertion. A hand lifts to shield her eyes, waving another hand to him, "Just get the healer, please. OhhhhOOOOHHHHHHH." Her abdomen heaves with a violent contraction, fingers digging into the mattress. "Hurry!" Although it might be too late now.

 

N'cion nods weakly, averting his eyes from his horrified contemplation.  "Urrgh.  I'll...be right back.  With the healer.  Amnerith!"  he sets off at a brisk run, leaping in and nearly falling off through the fast takeoff.  "Whooaaaaaa!!"  Scant minutes later, a flapping presages his return.  "There!  Go!  Run!  It's not a pretty sight, though, I warn you."  Menace warns the healer.

 

While Menace was gone, Sullaketh managed to draw herself closer to her lifemate's bed, crooning comforting notes and laying her head down near to Taire. "Sukie, you have no idea how great you have it. I -" Whoops, there goes another one. More tensing and grunting 'til the healer is sighted, and the girl fairly faints with appreciation. Ohhhhh, thank Faranth. Menace can be good for something. Another groan, the healer peeping 'down there' and then grumbling something under his breath about waiting too long. "Push with the contractions, rider. Next one, push hard."

 

"Yes, yes.  Push.  Right."  Menace echoes like a broken record, gesticulating vaguely with his hands in a manner probably intended to be evocative of pushing.  "If you push really hard, it'll probably come out faster?" he volunteers, keeping a...more-than-respectful distance from the healer and his dirty work.  "

 

Taire pushes with the next contraction, and the next one. But, it just doesn't feel right. There is something missing here. She should be exerting force in at least one more place. Fingers clenching in the covers of the bed flex, and then she realizes what is wrong. "Menace, get over here. Give... give me your hand!" And she is pushing again. The healer making encouraging noises, "A little more now..."

 

N'cion has a feeling of foreboding.  "Suuuuure..." he draws out the word, circling around the healer to kneel by Taire and extend his hand.  "See anything yet?" he inquires of the healer.  "Think it's a boy or a girl, Taire?" he says in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere.  "How about a name...a name...like...Ace.  Or Ion.  Or Menon."

 

Taire is immediately reaching out to grip his hand, squeezing it in time with the contractions. "Ion? What kind of a name is that? Babette. Or maybe Tarmella. And-" OOOOOHHHHHHH. That was a bit one. She bares down, clenching Menace's hand and pushing with all of her might. The healer is doing something down there before announcing, "

"I've got a head here... one more, rider."

 

"Babette?  What kind of a name is that?"  Menace asks incredulously, wincing stoically.  "Boy am I glad you trim your nails..." he mutters.  "Armell." he counters.  "Nair.  Bob."  he tosses out speculatively.  "Ooh, male or female?"  The healer looks up bemusedly.  "I can't tell from a head alone."  "Oh."

 

"Babette was the name of my canine!" Taire cries out, offended. At least she didn't say Puddles. That was the pony. Don't ask. "Menace, just please... just..." Another cry of pain as her body contracts... a moment, and then the wail of a child. The healer takes a moment, and then there is a chuckle. But that chuckle is quickly eclipsed by the wail of a child. The healer stands, offering up a red, bawling thing with a thick path of dark hair on /his/ head. Yes, it is rather obviously a boy being held there. "Its a boy!"

 

"We are not naming any child of mine Babette.  I would kill it first, to spare it the agony."  Menace says firmly.  "Ahhh!  A boy!  Ha!  I knew it!"  Never mind that he hadn't said a single word of speculation either way up to this point.  "Quick, hand him over.  A boy...now what's a nice and manly name...Segmond!"

 

Taire falls back on the bed as soon as the deed is done, sweat in a fine sheen over her forehead and her hair looking none too gorgeous at the moment. A few breaths later and the young woman is looking over to see the healer carefully hand over the crying infant to the father, "Ohhhhhh, Menace. I ain't gonna argue 'bout that now. I'm near enough done in as... Is he okay? He has everything?"

 

N'cion takes an inventory..."Lesse...two eyes, brown.  Check.  Nose, check, mouth, check.  Two ears, head, check.  4 limbs, 2 arms, 2 legs, 1 2 3... 9 10 fingers...ten toes...wow!  Such tiny fingernails.  All complete!" he says proudly, handing the baby over to Taire.  "You're a mommy!  And I'm a Daddy!  And...whoa, my parents are grandparents now.  Maybe I should let them know..."  he says absentmindedly, mundane concerns starting to dominate his attention.

 

Message 50 of 50 on *FortWeyr (#399):

Date:     Fri Dec  6 05:34:13 2002 CET

From:     Taire (#4963)

To:       *FortWeyr (#399)

Subject:  New Addition to the Weyr

In the dark of night a scream echoed off of the starstones, and it was crying bloody murder. Along with a number of wild profanities and a declaration that 'ain't nobody going anywhere near that area of her anatomy again'. There were cries of disgust and gasps of fright. And when it was all over, the sight was red, bawling, and topped with a thick patch of dark hair.

Yes, folks. Greenriding clutchmates, Taire and N'cion, are (as amazing as it sounds) proud parents of a baby boy. A baby boy that doesn't quite have a name yet. Apparently the parents cannot agree on one in particular. Ace? Ion? Babette?! Suggestions are welcome.

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