-------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Visit From Jazmin Date: January 24, 1999 Place: Lysseth and Kassima's Weyr Game: PernMUSH Copyright Info: The World of Pern is copyright(c) to Anne McCaffrey l967. The Dragonriders of Pern(r) is a registered copyright. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kassi's Note: A short and sweet little scene. Jazmin, who Searched Kassima from Ruatha all those Turns ago, comes to her Searchee's weyr to pay a visit to the greenrider and her baby son. She brings some adorable--and useful!--gifts for Kris with her, which delight Kassi no end. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Log: Chaeth backwings for a landing. Jazmin slides off Chaeth to land on the ground. Kassima, seated as she is on the floor, looks to be just finishing up a changing job for her youngest. "Mrph," she notes. "I despise diaper pins, I really do... all right, Kris love, you're dry; stop fussing." Scooping the baby up, she offers Jazmin and Chaeth a rueful grin. "Lyss told me you two were visiting--welcome, and thankee for it!" Jazmin slides off and grins, "Diaper pins are evil, I wont argue there. Congrats." she has a little bundle in one hand, "Just a little something for the spawn." Kassima stands and frees a hand to accept the bundle, blinking with surprise. "Double the thankee, then--though you didn't have to! Which isn't t'say I'm nay glad you did, mind. Pull up a box? Or the chair, if'n you rather. The lad-ling *should* be content for awhile now that he's finished his latest wail-fest, though Faranth knows, babes are always willing t'provide another." She sounds more fondly amused than truly exasperated. Jazmin laughs, "I can hold him if you'd like, I'm not /that/ far out of practice." she chuckles, "Have to do something to keep myself from going nuts curled up in my weyr." Kassima suggests impishly, "Spawn again?" But she sets down the gift long enough to carefully proffer the restless spawnling. "*That'll* guarantee that you're never bored. May I open that, or would it be rude t'do so in front of you? At the moment, I'm tired enough t'barely remember m'name, much less politesse." Jazmin laughs, "Leaving the twins at Benden helps the forgetting of how much trouble they are." she settles on a box, cradling the little in her arms, "Go on and open it, I'm not much for formality, I'd have to remember it if I was." [Editor's Note: I've left in the following page so the reader will know what the gift looks like. :) ] Jazmin pages: Upon opening, it's a baby set knit in a lovely deep red, with a little pattern in black along the bottom. Sweater and booties and baby mittens and toque, knit a little big for wintertime. Kris takes this transfer of possession with as much grace as he can muster, only yawning rather than doing anything more rude or unhygenic. Such a polite baby. "How are the twins, I should ask?" Kassi wonders, as her fingers work at the wrapping. "I've nay been back home t'visit in... shards. Ages. Oh!" Her eyes light up with delight as she uncovers the baby clothing, and she holds up the tiny sweater in wonder. "Jazmin, how marvelous! And in home colors, too!" Jazmin chuckles, "Just because he didnt have the luck to be born at Benden, doesnt mean he has to miss out on your heritage." she chuckles, "The twins are full of mischief, a little out of sorts I think with Chaeth and I not there, but I think it'll be better in the long run." she gives the baby a tickle, "You little lad, are going to cause your sisters no end of trouble." Kassima is all beams, holding up one piece of tiny clothing after another to awwww at. "Nay many understand anymore how important that heritage is t'me, but I'm glad you do. He'll look positively swoonsome in these! Going t'be giving F'hlan stiff competition someday, I daresay." Not that she's biased or anything. As Keveris, gurgling, manages to actually focus long enough to peer nonplussed up at this tickling creature, Kassi laughs and has to agree, "He probably will. Kay's already put out that he had the extreme bad manners t'be born on *her* Turnday. Khari's taking it better, on the whole. She just wants t'know if'n he's going t'be a lecherous bronzerider when he grows up." Jazmin laughs, "Not all bronzers are lecherous.. or at least they'd better not be, or I'll have to have a word with my eldest son." she winks. Kassima grins at that. "You should tell Khari. She only believes that Uncle Gar isn't lecherous; the rest, well.... How's Yaz--or should I call him A'zric?--been doing in training, anyway?" Jazmin nods, "Cant be doing that badly, no one's bespoken me to say he's betweened into the bowl wall or anything, so I suppose that's a good thing." she grins, "I still call him Yaz, likely always will, there's something about changing his diapers many many turns ago than means I just cant picture him all grown up." Kassima snorts her appreciation of the sentiment. "Even if'n Kay someday Impresses her brown, Khari her green, and Kris a lecherous bronze, *'tis* awful hard t'forget those diapers. There are so *many* of 'em, after all. Looking at the diaper pail makes it easy t'wonder, 'Now, why did I want another one of these?' A'course, looking at *him* answers the question. Nay *between*ing into the Bowl wall is definitely a goodness. Are they into *between* yet? I'truth, I forget just how long it's been since that Hatching." Jazmin laughs, "I'll just keep visiting to look at that diaper pail then, if you dont mind." she shakes her head, "Not quite yet, I dont think. Gelth was telling Chaeth about doing longer flights, so it cant be long yet." she shifts the little lad in her arms, giving him that funny face adults are so fond of giving infants. "The diaper pail's free for all t'see," Kassi answers gravely. "Perhaps I should set it up as a tourist attraction? Charge marks for people t'come and see te glorious pail? I really will have t'get down t'Ista t'see for m'self, now that I can travel again." Happy sigh. In Jazmin's arms, Keveris crinkles up his own small nose, perhaps in imitation, perhaps in confusion, and perhaps in disgust with the foibles of the strange adult people. Jazmin laughs softly, "He is a darling Kassi." she nods, "I try not to go down /too/ often, most young men arent wonderfully thrilled to see their Mom's come blinking out of between." Kassima remarks mischievously, "I'll have t'be remembering t'do that t'Kris as often as possible, then, if'n he winds up somewhere else. After all, aren't we mothers entitled to a bit of embarrassment in return for all the agonies of childbirth--nay t'mention the diapers?" Jazmin laughs, "Well now there /is/ that point. Perhaps I need to visit Ista more often, lovely beaches afterall." Kassima encourages, "And they've a wonderful hot pepper jelly... and you could always take the twins down t'see Jhor and just *happen* t'run into Yaz, and just *happen* t'trot out one of the more embarrassing stories of his childhood for whoever may be nearby... preferrably in the LC... and loudly." Pity this woman's offspring. Jazmin laughs softly, "Stuffed peppers.. have you ever had their stuffed peppers, oh, they are worth /swimming/ to Ista." Kassima admits a touch hesitantly, "I'd heard the stuffed peppers are aphrodesiacs...? I rather avoided them as a matter of course." Jazmin considers that, "Hmmm, not for me at least, I tend not to find burning my mouth off to be a sensual experience, good food, but not /that/ good." Kassima can't help but chuckle. "Ah, well. We'll try it anyway, when next Mart goes proddy--some of us plan on feeding him a bunch of aphrodesiacs and seeing what happens," she explains. "Seems t'me if'n raw oysters could be, *aught* could be. Those sound just vile." Jazmin shudders, "Slimey revolting things." Kassima asks with absolute bemusement, "D'you have *any* idea why anyone would've eaten those in the first place, much less decided they were aphrodesiacs? Because I certes don't." Jazmin shakes her head empatically, "Unless a very lot of alcohol was involved, then it's possible, if still not likely." "Mayhaps 'twere on Flirk's klah?" Kassi tries. Jazmin nods thoughtfully, "Equally possible, although I dare say alcohol would help more." Kassima considers that, and then abruptly grins. "Nay--neither one alone would explain eating *raw oysters*. They must've drunk spiked Flirk's. All the contradicting hallucinations *might* make 'em think they were actually eating *food*." Jazmin laughs, "Just might do it, especially if made with Benden water." Kassima shudders in horror. "Oh, just what the world needs more of. Hallucination-induced spawn. A'course, I suppose the Water has some uses--if'n you ever decide you want grandchildren, you could probably get the point across by sending Yaz a skin of the stuff." Jazmin blinks, looking up at Kassi with a look of utter horror, "Gah, he could do that to me. I'm not old enough to be a GRANDMOTHER!" "Mayhaps you shouldn't embarrass him *too* much, then," Kassi admits. "Gelth might get it into his mind to avenge his rider by winning every greenflight he chases in, and you'd surely be a grandmum sooner or later that way!" Jazmin shudders at the very thought, "Bronzes dont win green flights that often though, they're too big." Kassima points out, "They still do *sometimes.*" She's enjoying teasing her friend, clearly. "Why, you hold the result of a bronze winning a greenflight right now. And Kay's more of the same. I'truth, both m'flight-spawned spawn were sired by bronzers... mayhaps bronzers have some sort of special tendency to spawn with greenriders. You could wind up with grandchildren out the ear right quick if'n 'tis true!" Jazmin shoots Kassi a dark look and then laughs, "Jae, goldflight.. Nassa, greenflight, the twins, goldflight. Yaz is the only non-flight kid I've got and I wasnt a rider yet when I had him." "Just think," Kassi muses, revelling in this. "If'n each of yours had five of their own... only Khari of mine isn't flight-spawn, and I don't suspect I'll have any non-flight spawn henceforth. Though stranger things have possibly happened." Jazmin mutters softly to her self a long moment before gaping yet again, "Twenty five! Gah!" "And," Kassi remarks with a downright wicked grin, "they could always have *more* than five apiece... especially the males." Jazmin waggles a finger at Kassi, "You're catching up quick m'dear Kassima..." Kassima lays her fingertips on her collarbone in a 'Who, me?' gesture. "Only three! And the eldest is only seven--she shouldn't be spawning for *some* time. A'course, I suppose I could spawn twins and catch up that way... but nay for awhile yet, I devoutly hope. I'm too eager t'be getting back t'work!" Jazmin grins, "So I started earlier.. and I spawned twins after three, it could happen to you too." she leans down to give the sleeping infant in her arms a little kiss on the forehead, "And on the mention of work, I should be getting back to my straps before drills in the morning." Kassima gives a vague shudder. "Just one at a time has been horrid enough... ask E'vrin sometime what a harridan I was. Two would probably make me either kill m'self or someone else. Truth, though, Auri would kill me if'n I detained you." She extends her arm for the child, who's fallen asleep sometime during this conversation and--in the manner of all children--now looks positively angelic. You'd never know he was evil-spawn. Jazmin passes over the temporarily angelic infant, "I'm still getting used to T'sar's style, so I'm likely the most obnoxiously intent face at drills in the morning." she laughs softly, getting to her feet, "Hazard of not having anyone around to distract me, go to bed early, get up early and arrive at sweeps all bushy tailed." Kassima snuggles Kris against her shoulder, resting her cheek momentarily against the wisps of black fuzz that comprise his hair. "I'm sure he'll love you for it, though, once he's out of the Infirmary himself--and Auri probably does now. Better eager than lackadaisical, let me tell you!" Jazmin grins, "How long 'til he gets out, have you heard?" "I went t'see him today," Kassi answers, "and he seemed t'think 'twill be two sevendays at most." Jazmin nods, "Good to hear." she moves over towards her brown lifemate, giving him an affectionate slap, "Well, it's been good seeing you Kassi, thanks for the heart attack." she winks. Kassima waggles her eyebrows at the brownrider. "Anytime! Thank *you* for the adorable clothing--Kris will appreciate the warmth, I'm sure, even if'n he's nay old enough t'have fashion sense just yet! Always good t'see you, too. M'regards t'Chaeth, and I promise nay t'forget t'scritch his eyeridges next time you visit." Chaeth rumbles his approval of that comment as Jazmin scales up and lands on his back. Jazmin hops onto Chaeth, with the aid of the straps to land comfortably 'tween two neck ridges. From Chaeth's back, Jazmin waves, "Take care, see you soon." Kassima frees a hand to wave up to the brownrider. "Clear skies and fair winds t'you both!" Chaeth spreads his wings and leaps from Lysseth's ledge.