[PRP] Everything the Light Touches (Aishe x C'rian)

[Fated Fable]

Well. This pregnancy thing was very strange, Aishe decided. She'd been carrying this child for some time now, and it seemed to her that she was no more used to the idea now than she had been then. C'rian, on the other hand, seemed completely overjoyed by the prospect (and the reality) of being a father. Perhaps it was just that she was doing the rather more unpleasant part of things. All the same, Aishe couldn't complain. Business was booming and she'd been able to use her gravid state to her advantage in settling a favorable bargain more times than she could count.

All in all, things were going rather... well. Which was why Rhianth's current restlessness was eating at her. What did the Gold want? The trader knew that her queen wasn't ready to Rise again; rising had, in fact, gotten Aishe into this particular predicament. Perhaps it was the return of Thread. It was common among dragons to feel a pull toward their own kind at the best of times. During something like this? She supposed she wasn't completely shocked that Rhianth wanted to be with her kin. Although the Gold would never fight Thread with her flame, the idea of being part of the Queen's wing undoubtedly appealed to her.

No doubt the dragon thought Aishe would be deadly with a flamethrower. Well. Perhaps another time. "Rhianth's having those Weyr-bound urges again," Aishe told her mate, who was currently leaned over his latest creation. The red haired woman leaned into C'rian, twining his arms around his shoulders and neck so that he could share a little of the extra weight. After all, it was partially his doing.

Masterharper

 

[Masterharper]

Fated Fable

C'rian paused in his work when he felt his lover's arms wrap around him. The wood he was carving could wait. He did not mind Aishe's weight against him, and was happy to be a physical support. Honestly, C'rian still couldn't believe that soon, very soon, he would be a father. He had never thought he could love a stranger with such ferocity; Aishe and Kronoseth were his world, and he had loved them both from the moment he'd met them. But the little baby which Aishe carried, the little life within, also seemed to carry the rest of his heart. He didn't know if it was a son or a daughter; didn't know what they looked like, what they acted like, didn't know anything about them! But he did know that the little baby was his and Aishe's. That little baby and Aishe's well-being was all that he could think about of late; in fact, Kronoseth had complained about being a third wheel the other day, which was when C'rian had decided to spoil his best mate with a little hunting, a bath, and a thorough and luxurious oiling.

He wasn't neglecting his brown, but he knew it wouldn't be long before Aishe had no choice but to find a Hold or Weyr and wait for the baby's arrival.

"I'm sorry to hear she's discontent," he stated, reaching back behind him to stroke whatever part of his lover he could reach. "Kronoseth keeps telling me how far we are from this Weyr or that, and that with you clutching soon, we might think about settling." The man gave a little snort. "Faranth knows he's always happy to return to a Weyr. He thinks I'm being a neglectful father to my clutch."

Though he gave a dismissive little snort, he refrained from any further explanation. While he knew his brown wasn't trying to hurt him, he did not like Kronoseth's insistence that the only way to provide for his family would be to sign up an fight Thread. Granted, his dragon came from a different world, and he dragon's intentions weren't entirely pure. C'rian knew his brown wanted to go back to a Weyr so he could rise up through the ranks and fight Thread to protect all of Pern. It had little to do with C'rian's role as a father; but that didn't mean it hadn't stung.

"I think he's also hoping to give his Lady what she wishes." If Rhianth was feeling antsy, than that was no doubt making Kronoseth's desires worse. "Tis the season, I suppose."  

[Fated Fable]

"You know she talks to her mother every day," Aishe said, leaning a little harder into C'rian. He was a strong man. He could take the weight. "Eveleth has her half convinced that it would be the best thing for my 'clutch' to return home to the Weyr." But of course, Aishe did not exactly share her dragon's opinions. "Rhianth has been feeling neglected and overlooked. She doesn't like sharing her space with Golds who don't appreciate her." And then she said that I was a bully! the offended Gold informed her mother, continuing the conversation that they'd been carrying on for awhile. I'm not a bully. There was, perhaps, a touch of uncertainty in the dragon's tone, one that seemed to request confirmation. That just wasn't fair. Oh, she didn't want to deal with that anymore!

The trader prince gave a sigh, pressing the heels of her hands against her closed eyes. Really, her dragon was just too much sometimes. "And the recent return of her little niece hasn't helped matters any. Not to mention the baby." The baby would be coming anytime now, and Rhianth wasn't sure how she felt about sharing Aishe in that way. There was a strange mixture of anxious anticipation and jealousy that had become Aishe's constant companion. "Darling, would you... get me something to drink?" Ah, if only it could have been alcoholic. But bah, there would be no risking the baby. Aishe sat down, propping her feet up on a nearby stool.

Masterharper

 

[Masterharper]

Fated Fable

C'rian didn't mind Aishe leaning against him as he listened to her woes He knew that things were getting rough for her this late in the pregnancy; both of their dragons were antsy and anxious; their routine was disrupted as they waited for their baby to arrive; and nether Aishe nor C'rian really knew what to expect.

For his part, the brown rider had always wanted to be a father. He'd had a relatively wonderful upbringing, and had always wanted to marry. Of course, the only woman to catch his heart had always been Aishe; she was older than him, sure, but he'd always been struck by her power, her fierceness, her attitude. She had been unlike any of the women in his life before, and had left quite the lasting impression. In fact, his boyhood crush never quite left him, even as he aged and matured.

Thankfully, distance made the heart grow fonder. He was Searched by High Reaches, and there he Impressed Kronoseth. By the time he crossed paths, he was ready to pursue and woo her, and somehow, by the first egg, he won her her hand. It still amazed him that she was now in his life permanently; he would follow her to the end of Pern, and let Thread eat him alive if she asked. That said, it meant he would go wherever she wished, and that included now. "Did you want to give birth in Nabol, love? Or do you think we should go back to the Weyr? I think either place would be suitable." Nabol Hold certainly wasn't his cup of klah, but he understood Gansley and Aishe had a good rapport. Their quarters were well maintained and lavish; Aishe lacked for nothing, and Lord Gansley was a good host.

But C'rian wasn't blind. He knew the ugly side of the area, and the blood spilled to procure the stones and ores Pern needed to survive. Still, he would never interfere, and never upset their trade dealings, even if it was unsavory. "If nothing else, I don't think we're going to get out of visiting the Weyr, especially once you and the baby are in good shape enough to fly."

Even if Aishe didn't want to return to the Hold, both their dragons hailed from the area, and some of their goods would need to be delivered and sold. Friends would want to know about the child, and of course, be hurt if they didn't at least try to make a social call. Maybe, that would appease both brown and gold as their lives all adjusted.

You are no bully, Rhianth. You are simply determined, and are a queen who knows what they want and how to get it. I don't know what golds are down in Nabol, but you needn't pay them any mind. They are not worth your time. Eveleth had no problem speaking to her daughter at a distance; though she desired Rhianth to return, so she might have her daughters near, she would not command it. She also knew her golden Rhianth knew her desires, her wishes, her wants; she had no need to repeat them.

Making sure that Aishe was seated comfortably, C'rian went to procure the requested beverage. It didn't take long - Gansley's people were keeping sharp eyes on the two of them. In fact, a woman rushed out with a clear pitcher of water; it looked as if there was fruit infused within the container, and even some sort of plant. The woman bowed as she offered him the drink, and scurried out of sight as soon as he'd accepted it.

"Here, love," he offered. "I think Gansley has ears on us, unsurprisingly." There was good reason he always felt watched in the Hold -- but how he did it, he hadn't ye figured out. Hidden flits? Hidden dragons? Either way, he wasn't sure there was any true privacy within the Main Hold.

Settling down in front of her, the man reached down to tenderly rub and massage her ankles and feet. Boots were no longer an option for the woman, so it was easy to work around the soft slippers provided by Gansley.