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Neither Rain Nor Sleet Nor Gloom of Night


Date:  March 22, 2001
Place:  Telgar Weyr Outer Infirmary
Game:  PernMUSH
Copyright Info:  The World of Pern is copyright(c) to Anne McCaffrey 
l967. The Dragonriders of Pern(r) is a registered copyright.

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Kassi's Note:  A quickie scene, short and fun.  Kassi visits I'sai and
his just-born son, Icerain, bringing gifts for the new parents; along
the way, the bronzerider and greenrider make a bargain that will prove
relevant later.  No legendary Weyrwomen were actually harmed in the 
making of this log.

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The Log:

You walk off towards the Outer Infirmary.

Humming precedes Kassi's actual entrance into the room, though only by a
half-second or so; it's quiet humming, to go with the quiet sloshing from
the bottles she merrily cradles--and it is worth clarifying that these are
liquor bottles, not baby bottles. It would not do to get these things
confused around newborns. Rather than stride right in, she hovers in the
entranceway, eyes visibly searching the room. Perhaps she's looking for
mint sticks.

It's a large cavern, but searching's made easier - in terms of what's
readily seen - or harder - in terms of what's not - by a pair of dragons
taking up as much space as they're let, a Fall (or a wingleader, or an
abandoning by their riders) not having come around to kick them out.
Drowsing Taralyth heaves a sigh, all but snores; a weary tenor may be heard
to call from that guarded space, "...That you, K'ran?"

"If'n I've turned into K'ran, Tarlo's in for a shock," Kassi drawls,
abandoning the entrance to creep towards yon dragons and the space they
surround. "Is it possible t'be doing any visiting, or would your guardians
be too peeved? I can be dropping m'birthing gifts t'you--and the lasses
if'n they care t'share, a'course--off and taking m'leave, if'n they'd
rather. Or you'd rather."

There's sudden tenor laughter - and he _must_ be tired, for it next affects
a pseudo-draconic timbre that can't make up its mind whether it's growl or
hiss: "Ssssso. We shalll sssssee. The little one, eet sleeps... come near,
if you darrrrre." A hand waves, pale against all that dragonhide: there
must be a way in, through that maze of twisty dragon-tunnels, all alike.

Kassima now has to decide whether to play bravado or cower; decisions,
decisions! "*Please* don't eat me, Isaith, I'll be good," she manages to
quaver before breaking into snickers. "Shells, man, you're cracked as a
clamshell. But 'twill dare the wrath and the lunacy, t'bestow m'gifts as is
fit t'do." A shame there aren't two more of like mind behind her, with
frankincense and myrrh. To navigate the labyrinth, Kassi firsts shifts the
bottles both to one arm as if this will help--though maybe it will, since
she uses the now-free hand to reach a quick pat towards bronze hide. Never
hurts to try and score points with the guardians. "Keep talking, would you,
so I can be finding m'way past these two? Unless *you're* scared."

"Verrrrry sssscarrrred - but not very scarred! - but what vill I talk
about?" I'sai returns, said bronze hide shivering pleasantly beneath her
touch as she passes by. "Jussssst don't wake eet. Eet ees feeeeeersome."

I'sai tries that again: "Feeeeerrrrrrsome!"

"Talk about how much you quake and tremble in fear of m'awesome presence,"
Kassi suggests with mock-gravity. "Pay me due homage, and I may allow you
to live t'be basking in my fearsome glory." She aims a smile at Taralyth as
she passes, passes, passes through, and echoes in a whisper,
"Feeeeeeeeeeeeearrrrrrrsome!" Which sounds rather odd, whispered. She
raises to tip-toe, the better to try and see.

"Quaking, trembling, trrrrembling, quaking," I'sai duly reports - quietly,
quietly, but increasingly audible as she navigates; once she's reached the
maze's heart, there becomes visible within Carabeth's especial shelter
Ceria's cot, the woman all but hidden within the furs. A basket next to her
is empty, and there's a small, wrapped-up bundle in I'sai's weary arms -
don't look too closely at those stains on his shirt, either. Softly, "Better?"

Kassima's answer is as soft: "Much." Very cautiously, she stoops to set
down both glass bottles so that she shan't clank or slosh as she ghosts
forward to get a better look. Ceria gets a glance, of course--and a wry
grin, for that matter--but seeing that she's asleep, the greenrider is free
to turn most of her attention where it belongs: on the bundle. Not the
stains. "Always hard t'believe that a woman goes through nine months of
pregnancy and labor for such a wee, tiny thing, isn't it?" she asks in
quiet. "But a beautiful wee thing... I'd heard a whisper say 'tis a lad
she's borne you."

"Icerain," I'sai says with not a little quiet pride, though his eyes may
flick over to the bottles' placings; "Red head, though not exactly
redheaded, if you catch my meaning..." and tilts said bundle where she
might better see the redly wrinkled features. Icerain, it must be said,
takes this more calmly than many; but then, it can't hurt to have been
recently changed (again) and fed (yet again).

"The gifts," Kassi absently clarifies at catching that flick. Absently, for
of course she's now busy trying not to melt and look entirely silly. New
babies have a tendency to inspire such reactions, and one must after all be
on guard. "Mmm, so I'm seeing. Poor lad's had a tough day. Nigh as tough as
his mum, nay doubting." Though her hand steals closer to that bundle almost
of its own accord, she doesn't actually touch. Instead, "...Icerain.
Interesting choice of namings; I like it, and isn't it a second I for you?"

Fierce Icerain: the melter! as if from ice to rain... "He has a wee little
finger," his father confides, soft. "Well, ten of them, but who's
counting... and look at him breathe. You can touch if you're
very-very-gentle. ...And second 'I' if you count Aless' Ilessa, fourth if
you count the twins."

Kassima takes him up on that, extending the very tip of one finger to lay
softly against one soft baby cheek. "And ten toes as tiny, I'd be
guessing... shards." A sigh escapes. "Newborns are *dangerous*. He's a
treasure, Is, though neither you nor Ceria likely need me t'be saying so."
Straightening slightly, she adds, "Meant born just recently, aye. Ilessa.
I'm liking that--Lessa with an I on it, 'tis."

The cheek gives, slightly, beneath her touch; there's a small noise, a bit
of a bubble, but no ravening, chittering hordes explode from within.
"Tinier," I'sai says not a little dreamily. "Need we watch for your
stealing him, then? Or would you be satisfied with your wingmate's... Just
so's she doesn't end up like Lessa, hey?"

And Kassi's finger hopefully isn't seized and devoured by the ravening,
chittering hordes, either. She does withdraw it regardless, though the
damage has been done: she's got the 'awww' look. "'Twouldn't steal him,"
she scoffs. "His name doesn't start with K, and people would never believe
him mine. I don't think his hair's dark enough. Ilessa, now, if'n I gave
*her* a K--but 'twill hope for that for her. Being a living legend couldn't
have been easy."

No devouring. Yet. But tired as he is, those pale eyes suddenly glint with
a certain wicked mischief: "Are you saying, Killlessa? Well, everyone needs
a nickname. And these are eminently nickname-able." I'sai adds after a
moment, "If you're -very- good, you might get to borrow him. So long as you
promise to return him in at least one piece."

"I doubt the Harpers would approve of that," Kassi remarks, adopting a
near-purr, "and 'tis always such *fun* t'be giving Harpers apoplexy--nay
offense t'your kinfolk meant. 'Ice' and 'Ill'--certes there are nicknames,
but whether they'll thank you for them later 'twill nay be betting on." She
wrinkles her nose, then, and grins a wide grin. "*Too* generous. Methinks I
could be sure t'be returning him in at *least* one."

"Of course not," I'sai assures, sneaking a teasing glance up from all that
Icerain-attending; "And of course they won't, I shouldn't think; do you
imagine I thanked my parents? - At least one, it is." He stifles a yawn
into his shoulder, blinks smilingly back, "With bells on."

Kassima points out with a wink back to him, "Ah, but Is isn't such a bad
nickname as all that. It could be worse; you could be stuck with... oh...
Merry." Innocence incarnate, she. "At least you didn't name him Merry,
though if'n you spawned with the local Meri 'twould be an idea. Don't you
think that bells would wake him up?"

I'sai squints at her, for the Merry; says, "'Is' isn't - oh, _shards_ no,"
for the Meri; and offers, "Perhaps when he's - " but that little boy is
stirring again, those fine eyelids fluttering - I'sai has to quiet some. A
lot. And smile, just a touch; "...Awake, I was going to say; but perhaps
you should save them for your own next, after all."

"What is, then?" Kassi would ask. "And I didn't really mean it; I can't see
you and she spawning, somehow... though stranger things have happened." Her
own voice drops accordingly to a low murmur, just loud enough to be heard.
"Mayhaps he read your thoughts. Talented child. Ah, but m'next, who's t'say
there'll ever be? I'd lay even odds you'll have yet more spawn a'fore I do."

The squinted look widens into mock-guilelessness; and I'sai doesn't answer
at first, and when he does it's quietly, quietly - "Tell you what," he
says, through Icerain's further stirs. "Not counting any children that you
or I might have started already, if I do spawn before you, I'll tell you a
nickname or two, and if you spawn before me, you'll tell me those stranger
things?"

Kassima's eyes narrow in suspicion, as eyes tend to do when bronzeriders
are affecting guilelessness, but she evidently finds nothing to be
suspicious of in the bargain; she whispers after a moment, "Agreed. So long
as you tell me about these children that you might have started already
sometime when he's nay waking... and since he is, mayhaps I'd best scoot.
Give Ceria m'regards?"

"If you tell me about any of yours," I'sai assures, just in case, and that
smile of his carefully doesn't widen any - "And of course I shall. Hello to
Lysseth, also, and I'll trust you two will get more sleep than we..." half
a glance at the drowsing dragons, and that rueful, "Well, than I will.
Thank you again."

I'sai adds after a moment, "And we'll all toast to your health as well as
theirs."

"You know me well enough t'know there *aren't* any of mine," Kassi can't
help but point out dryly, or as dryly as a whisper gets. "All right then;
g'night, Is, and g'night, Icerain. Sweet dreams t'you both." She spares one
last slightly sappy smile for the baby and then drifts out the way she
came, with another passing pet for Taralyth. Maybe she figures that's the
passage toll.

You walk down the long tunnel.