[PRP] Jacepi & Vanaryn - Reunited and it Feels So....Good?

[Dragon Berri]

Vanaryn leaned against Anath, the pair sunning on the Bowl. It wasn't that Vanaryn wanted to get tan - her skin was naturally dark - she just enjoyed the way the sun felt on her skin, much like Anath enjoyed the feeling of it on her hide. With five kids in her life, it wasn't often the green rider had a moment to herself like this. She wasn't complaining, far from it! She loved her kids, even Jacel who wasn't actually hers. He belonged to the one man who had held her heart since she was thirteen Turns old.

Thinking of Jacepi... Vanaryn sighed. She had left him nearly twenty Turns ago, pregnant and scared of what settling down meant. "Stupid," she sighed. Now every time they saw each other they fought and argued. She said things she didn't really mean. But every time she saw him all her insecurities and her mistakes and her regrets welled up inside her all at once and frazzled her brain.

She was so tired of fighting with him. Why couldn't she just apologize? Why couldn't she just tell him how she felt? She felt so stupid. So helpless against her self. She sighed heavily and felt Anath rumble comfortingly under her back. Even when everything else seemed to fall apart around her she could always depend on Anath.  

[Thaliawen]

Poor Vannie.

A certain eight turn old was running towards her, grinning like he hadn't since he'd come to the Weyr. "Vanaryn! Vanaryn! Papa's coming to get me!" He stood before her, panting and bending slightly, but the grin never left his face. "Papa is coming to get me!" There was a letter tightly clutched in one hand. "See!"

It was thrust forward eagerly.

The letter did not, in fact, declare a desire to come fetch Jacel from the Weyr, but was a promise to be visiting for the next sevenday and that he'd be arriving later that afternoon.  

[Dragon Berri]

One of your hatchlings is headed this way, Vanamine. Anath murmured in her mind.

"Hmm?" Vanaryn had been about to doze off when Anath spoke to her. Opening her eyes, she sat up to see Jacel racing toward her at top speed with a grin such as she had never seen on his face. His words confused her and she frowned. "What? What do you mean, sweetheart?" she asked and reached for the letter.

Oh. Oh no. He was coming. Her heart wrenched in her chest. And staying for a whole sevenday? She cringed at the arguments and fighting that would probably ensue from them being in such close quarters. "That's lovely, Jacel. I'm glad he's coming to see you." Jacel may think his father's letter meant he was coming to take him home but....that wasn't what Jacepi had written.  

[Thaliawen]

"He's coming by dragon so he'll be here soon!" Jacel enthused. "And then he can take me home by the end of the sevenday! He'll be so happy to see me!" And Jarah, too! But Jacepi always seemed to be so somber when it came to talking about Jarah.

"Can we go wait for him?" He asked.  

[Dragon Berri]

Vanaryn pasted a smile on her face for Jacel's sake and nodded. She knew how much he missed his dad and how hard it had been for him here. The poor kid was only eight, and he'd been thrust into a whole new life. "Yeah, of course we can go wait for him," she said and stood, holding a hand out to him.

Anath crooned a comforting note to her rider and nudged the little boy at her side. Enjoy your visit, dear, she said to him.  

[Thaliawen]

Jacel beamed at Vanaryn and took her hand. His smile only brightened when Anath spoke to him. He released Vanaryn's hand to wrap his arms around the green. "You'll really like Papa, Anath!" He assured her with a smile. "You'll visit with him?"

He took Vanaryn's hand again. "Let's go!"  

[Dragon Berri]

If you like, little one, the green conceded as she gave the boy her version of a hug with her neck. Vanaryn winced. Anath and Jacepi already knew each other but she didn't know how to tell Jacel that. She gave him another smile when he took her hand again and walked with him to the place Jacepi would most likely land when he came.  

[Thaliawen]

It only took a few minutes for Jacepi to arrive on a blue dragon. The harper looked almost ill as he was helped down off of the dragon, pale and fidgeting with a set of pipes clutched tightly in his hand.

Seeing Vannie after all this time was worse than going between.

"Papa!" Jacel ran up to him and wrapped his arms around him. "I've missed you!"  

[Dragon Berri]

Vanaryn's hand tightened on Jacel's for a second before she let the boy go to hug his father. Shards, just seeing him again sent her stomach twisting into knots. She tried to smile at him as he slid off the blue but all she managed was a grimace. She waved to thank the blue rider for bringing him.

She stayed where she was, letting father and son have a moment to reunite. What was she going to say to him? Why had he written to Jacel and not her? A little heads up would have been nice. She might have taken a moment to clean her weyr. Oh, shells. She was so tired of picking fights with him. It would be nice to just have one regular conversation with him. But she'd ruined that a long time ago hadn't she?  

[Thaliawen]

Jacepi hugged his son the best he could, then ruffled his hair. He smiled slightly. "I missed you too," he said. So much. It was hard without Jacel there, but he knew the boy would have a better life at the Weyr.

He took Jacel's hand and led him to Vanaryn. "Hey, Vannie. I would've mentioned coming before but--" they didn't really keep in contact. "Jacel's last letter claimed such neglect I couldn't not come," he settled on saying, teasingly.  

[Dragon Berri]

"Neglect?" she said and arched a brow at the little boy. "It's okay, my weyr just....isn't as clean as it could be," she said and sighed. Vanaryn was already sick of fighting and they hadn't even started yet. Instead of instigating one, she let her anger just slide away.

Instead of saying something sarcastic and hurtful, she opted for the truth. After so long, she was sure he wouldn't believe her anyway. He'd likely think she was being mean in some way but she didn't care. She needed to say the words. "I'm glad you're here," she said and gave him a tentative smile.  

[Thaliawen]

"You're all mean to me, so I told Papa!" Jacel informed her, moving closer to his father. He stuck his tongue out at Vanaryn.

"I'm sure it's fine," Jacepi waved his hand dismissively. "I didn't come to see your weyr." He gave her a small smile. "Really? I'm glad, too."  

[Dragon Berri]

Vanaryn snorted and rolled her eyes at Jacel. "Brat," she said affectionately and ruffled his hair. "Bet you didn't tell your dad how mean you've been, have you?" She laughed softly and looked up at Jacepi, her heart squeezing in her chest to see that smile of his. It was just a little one, but oh, she had missed his smiles.

She smiled back at him, not quite big enough to show teeth. She opened her mouth to say more, that she missed him, but what came out instead was. "Where did you plan to stay while you're here?" Coward, she admonished herself.  

[Thaliawen]

"I read between the lines," Jacepi assured Vanaryn, with another slight smile. "I haven't decided yet," he added. "Jacel wrote me and I asked if that dragonrider could bring me here. I guess I used his letter as an excuse to come see him."

"Come meet Anath!" Jacel tugged on Jacepi's arm. "Come on. She's nice!"  

[Dragon Berri]

She laughed a little and nodded. "He missed you a lot," she told him. Vanaryn chuckled a little at Jacel's excitement for his father to meet her dragon. "I suppose we should follow," she said and moved to let Jacel lead the way to Anath.

The green in question was still sunning her hide on the Bowl, and she cracked an eye open at their approach. Greetings, she said. It has been a long time, old friend, she directed at Jacepi.