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Kiwi, Ketchup, Knives, and Kharisma


Date:  January 16, 1998
Places:  Telgar Weyr's Living Cavern, Inner Caverns, and 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:  When Kaylira was born, some said it would prove to be the
end of the world.  Kassi?  A mother?  Couldn't happen.  And yet, 
somehow, it did... though chaos *could* be said to have reigned that
night.  Can the world survive a second Kassi-Spawning?  Can an 
ineffectual Healer, a knife-fearing bronzerider, and a greenrider 
father-to-be who's allergic to pain live through it, too?  Read on, and
see for yourself!  Many thanks go first to Jh'rin, without whose
marvelous self this whole TP couldn't have been possible; secondary (but
no less heartfelt) thanks go to Maylia, Meli, and A'lex for making the
spawning such a... unique... event. ;)  I had a fantastic time role-
playing this, and I think it won't be hard to see why.

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The Log:

Tinya waves her spoon vaguely in Maylia's direction. "Ask her. They were 
already working on it when I got here, I just helped churn it."

Yes, A'lex *IS* licking the bowl. "It was REALLY good."

R'val's eyes alight, "Shards, but this is GOOD!"

Maylia explains around mouthfulls, "I figured that with ice, we could make 
it. And Jorenan produced this thing from stores," she gestures to a 
barrel-shaped object on the table, with a handle and gears sticking out 
the top. "With this, it was easy."

Meli pauses after the first mouthful, as if she expected the stuff to 
explode in her mouth or something. And it does, in flavor at least, and 
she starts eating with some zest.

Xin walks here from the Inner Cavern.

Kassima's own portion is gone within an unfortunately short time, too--
before she can even add ketchup to the stuff, in fact. "Even *without* the 
ketchup, 'twas delicious. Thankee most kindly, Maylia!" She flashes Meli a 
grin and asks archly, "Nay so bad as you'd thought?"

R'val smiles at Maylia, "Brilliant! You really should've been a baker.' He 
winks.

A'lex says "It would be great on a sweetbread, too..."

Meli nods, her mouth full.

D'thon's ears prick up as he sits elsewhere... His expression is evident. 
KETCHUP?!

Xin trudges into the living cavern with a small sack slung over his right 
shoulder. He's wearing a full winter jacket. He walks over to the table 
and stares at the food for a long moment.

Telgar Weyr> K'tyn sighs, and wants Kiwi ice cream.

Telgar Weyr> A'lex says, "Aye, me too! Gonna have to settle for peach 
yogurt..."

Telgar Weyr> L'mis grumbles about so many Terran foods still on Pern in 
this 10th Pass. Though kiwi ice cream does sound good.

Maylia makes a face towards R'val, shking her head. "Nah, thanks. I'll 
stick with being a rider." Kassi's ketchup comment is ignored this time 
around. These cravings, too, shall pass. "My pleasure Kassi," is her 
response. After all, she wants to be on her mentor's good side, come the 
day of the delivery.

Xin opens his sack, and starts tossing rolls into it.

Telgar Weyr> M'kla grins. Food's Food, L'mis.

Telgar Weyr> K'tyn hrms. who says that a pernese Kiwi equates to a Terran 
one? And aren't they in the DLG?

A'lex says "But you could be the Flying Baker, Maylia!"

Telgar Weyr> M'kla says, "We have the snow handy, and milk, and fruit...
hey, icecream seems logical enough. After all, it was invented 
independantly by the Romans, the Egyptians, and the Chinese."

Kassima grins broadly at D'thon, probably enjoying the hapless bluerider's 
nausea. "Sorry, D'thon--cravings, y'know! G'deve and greetings, stranger," 
she adds, turning her attention to Xin... and blinking, eyebrows arched, 
at the roll theft. "Duties t'you and yours."

Telgar Weyr> R'val says, "Some things do seem to be invented in every 
society in the universe. o O ( Gin and tonic.. )"

Maylia considers A'lex's comment a moment, trying to come up with a 
comeback. Finally, "Twasn't any baking involved, here!"

Telgar Weyr> L'mis shrugs. It's the combination. Kiwis, ice cream, 
ketchup.

Telgar Weyr> Tinya was not aware that kiwis-with-ketchup were a standard 
terran food.

Telgar Weyr> Kassima certainly *hopes* they're not. That would be sick.

Telgar Weyr> M'kla grins. Now that I can't argue about.

A'lex notices the stranger in the doorway, "Greeting, Telgar's duties to 
you. It's a might hot to be wearin that coat isn't it?"

Telgar Weyr> L'mis hsm. That's a good point.

Xin closes the bag, and announces to Kassima, "I'm leavin' the weyr. Too 
many strangers. Anyone wanna gimme a ride to the Hold?"

A'lex buh-blinks.

"'Twas nay aware that you lived here," Kassima remarks mildly to Xin. 
"Guess I've nay seen you about a'fore. 'Tany rate, I can't offer you a 
ride, but there's nigh bound t'be someone hereabouts who can."

A'lex says "Where are you headed?"

Xin shrugs, "Been layin' low. As I said, plenty of strangers about. And 
you're stranger than the lot of Telgari I've met in all my turns, 
combined."

A'lex snorts, he does have a point afterall.

Kassima smiles slightly with that, saluting the man with her spoon. 
Kaylira, pausing in copying 'Lex's example by licking her bowl clean, 
merely peers at the man in puzzlement. "Thankee. I consider such words as 
those t'be compliments."

Maylia just looks at Xin, confusion apparent on her face. Really. They're 
just eating Kiwi ice Cream, and discussing it's possibilities with 
ketchup. Most of them are even disgusted by the idea.

A'lex says "Where ya be headed, sir?"

Xin glances at A'lex, "I'm thinking Telgar Hold. No Ketchup-eating 
Bendenites there, I hope, just honest, mayonnaise-eating people."

R'val finishes his bowl with a contented sigh, and regards Maylia 
hopefully, "There any more, Maylia...?"

A'lex mouths, "Ketchup eating Bendenites?"

Maylia half rises, peering into the canister. "There's some, but it's 
almost melted. Help yourself," she says, pushing the contraption towards 
R'val.

Jh'rin walks in from the bowl.

Meli runs a finger along the inside edge of her bowl, then licks it clean. 
At least her face is clean. She contents herself to listening to the 
conversation.

Tinya snorts at R'val. "Greedy," she says, teasingly.

R'val takes it eagerly, and spoons what little remains into his bowl. He 
sticks out his tongue at Tinya, and grins, "I'm trying to get fat." he 
says, patting his flat tummy.

A'lex nods to Jh'rin as he enters, too confused by this Xin fellow to 
manage a proper greeting.

Maylia gulps, she can't believe she's going to do this. "Kassi, if'n 
you'd like, there might be some left after R'val gets through. Shall I 
find some," gulp, "Ketchup?"

Jh'rin comes to a quick stop after what's apparently a hurried arrival; 
his forelock's in his eyes, his ponytail askew. "Uh..." is what he says, 
intelligently.

Xin winces at the very word, "Firstly, my momma taught me to call it 
catsup, not ketchup. And secondly, it doesn't belong in any sweet meal."

Kassima snorts in revulsion. "Mayonnaise? Yick. That even sounds foul. 
I'll stick with m'ketchup and ki--oh, *would* you, Maylia? You're too 
kind. Jh'rin!" Kassi isn't confused at all, you see. She hears people 
calling her weird all the time. "Duties and such! You're just in time for 
kiwi ice cream, if'n 'twould be your fancy."

Upon seeing the greenrider for whom he was looking, Jh'rin strides toward 
Thunderbolt's table and Kassima. "No, uh, thanks, Kassi. Y'okay?"

A'lex quirks an eyebrow, "Cat-sup, as in feline?"

Maylia pales, still unable to believe the things she'll do for a pregnant 
mentor. Off she dashes to the kitchen, returning moments later with two 
jars of preserves, each slightly different in colour. "Which would you 
prefer, Kassi?" she asks, bobbing her head in a hello to Jh'rin. "I found 
Crabapple _catsup_ and tomato, too."

Xin shakes his head, dropping his sack onto the ground, and goes into the 
kitchen, returning a moment later with a darker, thicker, slightly sweeter 
version of ketchup, "This is catsup."

Meli leans back, resting her elbows on the table top as she looks out over 
the room. A quirky grin plants itself on her face, as she watches the 
various pockets of semi-confuddledness.

"Right as rain, or thereabouts. Which doesn't make any sense since rain 
isn't that right anyway, but...." Kassi tilts her head, one stray bang 
falling into her eyes. "Insofar as I know, I'm all right. You look like 
you're in some sort of hurry; is everything all--oh, yuck, crabapple? With 
kiwi? Eeeeeeeeeyach. Even I have some standards. Tomato, Maylia, if'n 
y'please?"

Telgar Weyr> Kassima says, "Read: Kassi's player is too disgusted to have 
her character eat such a thing. Finally, Maylia, you've found something 
too revolting even for me. ;)"

Telgar Weyr> Maylia howls with giggles! Really, it's kinda like jam, only 
tarter :)

Jh'rin smiles thinly and leans down to brush Kassima's bang away from her 
forehead and to kiss the space he revealed there. "I'm just fine. I was 
dozing and had a weird dream. I got worried, though...I reckon I could 
have had Sia bespeak Lysseth."

Puzzlement registers on Kassi's face, in the form of a furrowed brow and 
confused eyes. "I'truth, I'm glad t'see you in person instead, but what's 
this dream that was so worrisome?"

A'lex is divided between flabbergastment at this Xin, and consern for 
Jh'rin.

Maylia shrugs, looking at the jar of crabapple ketchup. Or catsup. Same 
stuff. With a quick wrench of her wrist, the small jar of tomato preserves 
is opened. Her own bowl of ice cream finished, the greenrider opens the 
other jar, and dips in a spoon for herself.

Jh'rin lifts his shoulders in the barest of shrugs and flops down beside 
Kassima. "Oh, Ista's duty," he tacks on belatedly and absently. "Sia was 
asking earlier about Phediath's clutch and got me thinking about babies, 
that's all." He looks, in fact, rather pointedly at Kassima's prominent, 
ah...feature.

Maylia sits back, eyeing the goings-on, spoonful of sweet-tart-vinegary 
preserves of crabapples in her mouth. Mmmmm.

"M'sure glad I finished mine before th'cat-ket-sup-chup came out," Meli 
comments.

Telgar Weyr> Kassima just laughs as something pops into her head: 'It's 
not the Benden Bug, it's the Benden Feature!' Sorry. Really bad joke, I 
know. You may shoot me now. :)

Telgar Weyr> L'mis eyes the culinary delights in the LC and exclaims, 
"Faranth preserve us!"

Telgar Weyr> Maylia grins, and has to rub in the catsup/ketchup thing, as 
well as the idea that -something- sickens Kassima's player. :D

Telgar Weyr> Richenda is officially afraid.

Meli finally rises, collecting her bowl and spoon. "Anyone else done?" she 
asks, moving to pile up dirty albeit licked clean crockery.

Xin shudders again at the revulting mixtures being concocted, and grabs 
his bag, "This is *so* disgusting. Have you no sense of taste?"

Kassima rests one hand on said feature, while reaching for the ketchup and 
pouring a bit into her bowl. There's no ice-cream left, but this doesn't 
seem to stop her. "Ah, I see... huh. Well, better that than cannibal kiwi. 
We've just been making this iced cream all day; there's been nay trouble, 
that I know of...." She trails off, brows still furrowed, as though she's 
not sure whether there *should* have been trouble. "Taste? A'course I have 
taste, stranger." Odd taste, but still....

Jh'rin lifts a hand and waves it, stating, "I really, Kassima, would just 
as soon not know." Pause. "Yer quite well, then? Nothing amiss?"

Xin mutters under his breath about the things some people eat.

Maylia peers at the jam jar full of brownish-reddish sort of paste. And 
spoons out anoher glob. "'tis good, honest! Like crabapple jelly, only... 
more vinagery." She says, directed towards the stranger.
"Buncha savages in this weyr," mumbles Xin.

A'lex says "Maylia, you're not... like Kassi... are you?"

"I think so," Kassi says dubiously, scanning through her memory to see 
whether something has been amiss. "Just the usual. Backache, headache--
well, and stomach-ache," she admits with a faint wince and grimace. "Too 
blasted much garlic, methinks. That stuff *never* bodes anyone any good. I 
don't know why I drink it." One might guess that she could successfully 
plead insanity, though. "Hoped the iced cream might help, but nay luck... 
Kay, run back to 'Maeva, would you, love? 'Tis past your sleeping time." 
The little black-haired girl who's been watching all of this with 
curiousity makes a face at her mother, but obediantly climbs down from her 
chair.

"Bowl's tha' way," Meli gestures absently, to Xin. "Nice weather 
f'travelin'."

Jh'rin's twisted expression makes it evident that he really isn't entirely 
that delighted with what Kassima's been eating. "Well, er. Awright. I can 
go back t'Ista, then. If yer sure."

Maylia pales, and shakes her head. "No." is her flat answer to A'lex. 
Quite vehemenant, she is.

A'lex draws back, "Okay then..."

"Gah, garlic too," Meli calls over to the pair of greenriders. "Las' time 
y'did tha', we nearly brought down th'weyr, f'I recall, Kassi."

Kassima frowns at that, not looking entirely pleased by the prospect. 
"Already? Shells, Jhor," she says with another grimace, "y'just got 
here... eh, Meli?"

Galadryl swoops down towards A'lex.

A'lex looks up at the flit diving his head, "Hoah there sweetie, watcha 
got?"

Galadryl chirps and drops a roll of hide infront of A'lex.

Xin puts a jar of catsup into his bag, along with the buns, then ponders 
the cavern. Finally, with a final mutter, he heads back into the lower 
caverns to reconsider.

Xin walks towards the inner cavern.

Meli sidles over on the bench, so she's not yelling across the room. 
"Wasn't it garlic an' rivergrain puddin' tha' precipitated Kay's arrival?"

A'lex picks it up and reads it over.

A'lex raises an eyebrow, "Anyone remember Skylyn... the girl from Benden 
Hold that visited the Weyr every once in a while? Apparently she's having 
a turnday party... I may have to make a trip back that way."

"What a strange young man," Kassi mutters, watching Xin go. "You'd think 
he'd never seen greenriders eating kiwi and ketchup a'fore. Gah, Meli, I'd 
almost forgotten that regrettable combination--with vinegar, if'n I 
recall. 'Twas the last time I'll ever take a food suggestion from Emlyn!"

Oh dear. This is enough to get the former healer apprentice burried 
somewhere in Maylia to rise to the surface. "Headache? Backache? and 
stomach ache, did you say?" Her eyes flicker to the ice cream contraption. 
"No river grains, but you've had something odd, and garlic... and vinagre 
in the ketchup..."

Jh'rin gets to his feet with marked slowness, watching Kassima 
uncertainly. He's been looking particularly unsettled of late, in fact.

"Kaaaasssssii..." Meli drawls out. "Wha' exactly have you been doin', an' 
feelin'?"

A'lex pulls a charcoal stick out of his pocket, scrawls on the note and 
holds it out for the flit.

A'lex then glances up at "That Tone" of Meli's.

Galadryl swoops down grabs the hide and pops *Between*.

Maylia hardly hears A'lex's question, but waves absently in his direction. 
"Where in your back does it hurt? And your stomach?" The healer in her is 
compelled to ask.

Kassima nods an affirmative to each question of the former Healer. "Aye, 
aye, aye... 'tis normal, isn't it?" She looks somewhat unsettled herself. 
Nervousness is catching, especially when one has a paranoid dragon. 
"Doing? Sitting here making kiwi ice cream and repulsing the general 
Cavern, a'course." Nothing unusual there. "Feeling? Well, what I just 
said. Headache, backache, stomach-ache--all the sharding ketchup's fault, 
I'm sure! Lower in both cases, Maylia... why?"

Telgar Weyr> Kassima says, "Aye, aye, aye. Say that fast enough, and Kassi 
sounds like that little robot from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Just 
thought I'd share that with you. ;)"

A'lex raises another eyebrow, but says nothing, knowing nothing of food's 
effects on pregnant riders.

Meli turns to give A'lex a *Look* of some sort. Half-puzzled, half-
concerned, half-annoyed, even if that is 150% ... in other words, 
paradoxically quizzical.

Jh'rin was halfway to his feet when he hears Kassima and turns a little 
pale. "Y'sure yer okay? Okay. I'll, ah, head back then. Uh."

A'lex bites his lip, if she's having cramps or the like, things are likely 
to start flying around this cavern like it's the end of the world. Please 
Faranth, don't let her have any knives on her...

Meli leans over slightly. She mutters to A'lex, " She'd know... labor... 
second... neh? " 

A'lex shrugs, looking mildly worried now.

Maylia drums her fingers, scanning around the cavern before turning her 
eyes back on Kassi. "You sure that's all it is, Kassima? Is it like normal 
pain, or crampy-pain?"

Jh'rin starts backing away from the Thunderbolt table, like a wherry who's 
realized the hovering bronze isn't just sightseeing.

A'lex stands and leaves the long table for Skyfire wing.

A'lex says "Uhhhh...." Yea, typical man, get stupid NOW...

Kassima does, in fact, have knives on her person. She always does. Rather 
than answering Jh'rin's question herself, she turns to Maylia with anxious 
eyes, since she's the closest thing to a Healer at hand. "I am all right, 
aren't I? 'Tis just indigestion. Right? Shells and shard-blastings and 
Faranth's liver on a bed of kiwi on a platter, I don't know--I don't 
usually *have* stomach pains!" If she did, she'd be a heck of a lot more 
discreet in what she eats, no?

Maylia rolls her eyes, loosing the tense attitude she'd been holding 
herself with. "Of -course- you're alright Kassi! I just thought - I mean, 
you might be starting labour. That's all." All. She's not considering 
knives now.

Jh'rin announces to no one in particular, "Pain and blood bother me rather 
much. Honest, it's best if I'm just alerted of what happens later." His 
voice cracks too, shattering like a glass dropped from the Star Stones. 
"Kassima? Love? Yer awright, aren't ya?"

Meli continues to watch from her seat on the bench, though it's not 
exactly a relaxed pose. *Might* be nothing, after all. Yeh, right. Having 
come to some conclusion in her own mind, she rises and starts to make her 
way down to the inner cavern.

A'lex walks over to Jh'rin, trying to look reassuring, "I'm sure it's 
nothing..."

"Think I'll jus' see who's on duty in th'infirmary," Meli calls back 
nonchalantly, it's nothing really. Though she does step sharply.

Jh'rin tries to smile at A'lex, but he ends up just baring his teeth. It's 
not a pretty sight.

R'val stands, and murmurs to Tinya, "Headed to the hot springs, care to 
come?"

Maylia takes a seat by Kassima, brave girl that she is. She even perhaps 
manages to look relaxed, which is amazing concerning that there's one 
little thing she doesn't tell many. She *hates* births. Trying again, she 
asks, "Alright, d'you remember how it felt, when you started with Kaylira? 
Or have you ever had... you know? Cramps?"

Kassima worries her lower lip with her teeth, considering whether or not 
denial would be a good stage, here. "Well," she admits hesitantly, 
"thought 'twas a stomach thing last time, too, until I ruined V'dan's 
jacket, but...." She looks up at Jh'rin with what might, if deer and cars 
existed, be identified as a 'deer staring into headlights' expression. 
"Uh... aye? Nay? I suppose," she finally admits, surrendering to reality 
as she so seldom does, "that I'm nay."

Jh'rin clears his throat for a good half-minute before intoning deeply, 
"I've seen one before. I'll be fine, I'm certain." As if.

Tinya blinks, then looks up and away from the group around Kassi. She 
nods. "I've no desire to watch _this_, that's for sure," she says as she 
stands. Despite the fact that she was just short of staring. It was the 
godawful-train-wreck sort of stare.

A'lex rolls his eyes. Ok, he lied to Jh'rin. "Um, how about some klah 
there Greenrider."

Jh'rin replies out of the side of his mouth. He mutters to A'lex, "... 
rump,... Y'got... strong?... uh,..." 

Telgar Weyr> Meli giggles. "Rump?"

Maylia gives first Kassi, then Jh'rin, exasperated looks. "She's not 
-sick-, she's just having a baby. Maybe." she says, to the room in 
general. "I mean, of course she's having a baby, she might just be 
starting to -have- it, now."

R'val chortles softly, and exits hurriedly.

R'val walks towards the inner cavern.

Tinya walks towards the inner cavern.

A'lex nods, paling at Maylia's words. Yea, he'll need some too. "I'll find 
something."

A'lex bolts for the kitchen.

A'lex walks off towards the kitchen.

Yes, let's ask one of Pern's more modest (when sober and not proddy) 
greenriders about cramps in front of an entire Living Cavern, shall we? 
Kassi shoots Maylia a faintly mortified look, which becomes rather more 
mortified of a sudden. "I suspect," she observes in a voice that's 
admirably un-squeaking, "that the question is moot. Um, Jh'rin, love? 
Think you could help me t'wherever I'm supposed t'go? I think m'water just 
broke."

Telgar Weyr> Maylia LAUGHS!

From the kitchen, A'lex is trying not to shout as he says, "I don't CARE 
if Ofira is saving it, GIVE IT TO ME!"

Telgar Weyr> Maylia reminds all, she didn't get beyond JR apprentice at 
Healer Hall. Can't expect her to have a perfect bedside manner ;)

A'lex walks in from the kitchen.

A'lex calls over his shoulder, "Thank you!"

"What?" Jhor's voice is high enough for someone to wonder about a sudden 
kick to his more sensitive areas. "Oh, uh, sure, sure sure certainly uh 
huh sure you bet right I gotcha uh huh okay." He hurries to Kassima, 
putting an arm around her waist and hoisting her.

Meli returns at just that moment, followed a moment later by a harried 
looking junior healer. "Most ev'ryone's out, Ushu's only one available," 
she calls over, then grimaces as everyone suspicions are proven correct. 
"Hope he'll be all right." She turns to said healer, "Y'not goin' t'faint 
this time, are you?"

Calayborn swoops down towards A'lex.

Strolling over to Jh'rin with a confident (well, as confident as one can 
look when one is expecting sharp things to start flying from places 
unknown) look, A'lex proffers a wineskin. "Benden Red, 12 turns old. 
Ofira's private stock. Don't tell."

A'lex ohs, "Do you need help moving her?"

Maylia nods, mildly amused, mildy un-amused. "Could be a while, yet, but 
hmmm. Best get to the infirmary," she quietly agrees.

Jh'rin nods. "Infirmary." At present it's a long word for him to 
comprehend, but he seems to have grasped the proverbial nubbin. His eyes, 
though, are fixed on A'lex and his wineskin.

And there stands Ushu, red of face, adam's apple moving visibly as he 
gulps once or twice. "Water's broken?" he calls over, voice cracking with 
the last syllable.

J'lyn walks in from the bowl.

A'lex slips himself under Kassi's other side and helps to get her up onto 
her feet, "Ok then, don't stab me...."

Kassima borrows V'dan's jacket, which the man foolishly left draped over a 
chair, and ties it around her waist. He won't really mind losing another 
jacket, surely. "Why," she demands, rather rhetorically, "did I eat that 
blasted ketchup? *Faint*???" She gives the Healer a long, hard look, one 
composed primarily of disbelief. Oh, boy. And she thought Garant was bad.

Telgar Weyr> J'lyn says, "Oh, great timing, J'lyn..."

Telgar Weyr> A'lex says, "BAhahahhahaaa!"

Ushu taps a finger along his pointy chin, muttering to himself. "Water 
first... pains... dilate... push... or is it push then dilate..." he 
rambles on as he moves over towards the group maneuvering Kassi.

Jh'rin peers at Ushu. Worriedly.

Kassima assures A'lex with a wan smile, "I promise you, I'll save 
eviscerating all the men of the Weyr until *after* the birth. Probably. 
Maybe. Or," she adds, with another grimace of pain, "mayhaps nay. The 
infirmary would be a good place t'go. Like, now?" she suggests hopefully.

J'lyn takes in the scene in front of him as he walks into the Cavern, and 
his face loses all its color, his eyes growing larger than seems humanly 
possible. Finding a chair, he slowly lowers himself into it, trying not to 
look but not accomplishing it very well.

A'lex is too busy worrying about dying to evern bother with Ushu.

Maylia gives Ushu a rather bland look, having delivered herbs here once or 
twice as an apprentice she knows him. "YOU don't dilate," she reminds him. 
"She dilates. Unless you're talking about your blood vessels, right before 
you faint. Then you also wouldn't be any help." Her tone might indicate 
that she doubts his help anyways.

Telgar Weyr> Kassima giggles. 'Lex, I think I might have to let you live 
through most of this at least, just for the comic relief. ;)

"Right, right," Ushu replies to Maylia, too intent on wiping sweat from 
his brow to be offended. "I always forget that part." He turns and starts 
back to the infirmary, then stops suddenly. "Right, right, wait for the 
patient..."

Maylia gives Ushu another dubius look, before asking Kassi, "Ah... I can't 
believe I'm gonna offer this... Would you like someone with you who'll 
likely NOT faint?"

Jh'rin and A'lex have the patient. They're waiting. And are NOT patient.

J'lyn stays away from the ensuing mess. He'll faint, honest he will.

Telgar Weyr> A'lex says, "Pern needs SHOTS! Shot of scotch would do 
wonders for our nerves, eh Jh'rin?"

Kassima eyes Ushu with quite understandable concern, murmuring under her 
breath, "What have I gotten m'self into...?" The last word is rather high-
pitched, her squeak like that of a hamster being sucked up into an 
Electrolux. "*Please*, Maylia." She shoots her mentee a grateful and 
somewhat less panicked look, then tries to waddle towards the Infirmary, 
tugging the men along with her.

Maylia gives Ushu a scathing look. She learned well from the masters. 
"Ushu, would you stop wiping yer hands on her forehead?" She whispers to 
him on her way out.

Telgar Weyr> Kassima says, "What *is* an Electrolux? I borrowed that line 
from somewhere, but I have no idea where from."

Telgar Weyr> J'lyn says, "A vaccuum cleaner, Kassi."

Is 'Lex frisking Kassi for weapons? Nahhhhhh....

Meli stands near the door to the inner cavern, torn as whether to wait or 
go ahead or get out of the way entirely.

Telgar Weyr> Maylia thinks it's a vacuum clean... what he said...

Telgar Weyr> Kassima says, "Good. That's what I thought. :)"

Kassima gives Meli the same sort of pleading, 'Don't leave me alone with 
these lunatics' look that she gave to Maylia on her way into the Inner 
Cavern.

A'lex glances about the Living Cavern, as if this were his last goodbye 
before hauling the squealing Kassi to the Infirmary.

You walk towards the inner cavern.

A'lex walks in from the living caverns.

Benden LC> "Wiping my hands on /her/ forehead?" Ushu mutters to himself as 
he heads out. This comment obviously confuses him further, a deep puzzle 
to unravel, one that locks his mind into a new track, though his feet 
propel him onward.

Meli walks in from the living caverns.

Benden LC> Maylia grabs Ushu by the arm, and propells him out the door.

Maylia walks in from the living caverns.

Jh'rin walks in from the living caverns.

Telgar Weyr> A'lex says, "Wow, there was a really long delay between me 
and Jh'rin getting here... she must be HUGE!! (just kidding! don't kill 
me!)"

"Ouch!" Ushu remarks. "You're tugging my arm!" He blinks, looking up and 
regaining his awareness. "Oh, right, baby."

Telgar Weyr> Meli bol

Telgar Weyr> Kassima doesn't kill A'lex, but she *does* make him Pern's 
first non-masculine bronzerider.

Telgar Weyr> A'lex shaws, I've never been that masculine anyway...

Maylia gives Ushu another one of those looks she'd never have dared to 
give him as an apprentice, though they all did behind his back.

Telgar Weyr> R'val o O ( Non-masculine bronzeriders? Plenty of them 
around. )

Ushu steps on to the infirmary, counting things off on his fingers.

"Nay anyone is wiping their hands on *my* forehead," Kassi tells Ushu 
firmly with a dagger-glare, before waddling into the infirmary.

You walk off towards the Outer Infirmary.

Meli walks in from outside the room.

A'lex walks in from outside the room.

Jh'rin walks in from outside the room.

Meli finds a spot of wall that looks as if it might lean suddenly, and 
holds it up with her shoulder.

Maylia walks in from outside the room.

A'lex finally notices Ushu, and promptly ignores him. Turning to Maylia, 
he asks, "Where do you want her?"

"Water, rose petals, cloths," Ushu can be heard to say as he putters 
around collecting things. "Forceps, scissors, twine..."

Maylia immediately grabs Ushu by the arm again, leading him to the redwort 
hand bathes before he can do a thing. Removing her new ring from her 
finger and tying it to the cord around her neck, she sighs, and redirects 
him again. "W-A-S-H. first. Oh, over there," she vaguely gestures.

A'lex looks up, "Twine? Scissors? What, are we wrapping gifts?"

"Rose petals," Kassima repeats, taking a deep breath as she was taught and 
eyeing this man like she's already planning on strangling him. Quite 
probably, she is. "Rose. Petals. Jh'rin, promise me something?" She has 
the decency to lower her voice so that Ushu can't hear before asking, 
"If'n aught goes wrong, and I don't beat you to it, could you kill that 
man? For the safety of the other women in the Weyr?"

Ushu blinks at Maylia, then refocuses yet again. "Oh, right. Wash. You 
going to put the flowers in the water and wet the cloth for her forehead?" 
he asks her, brow furrowing as he tries to place her face.

Jh'rin nods to Kassima. For all he knows, he's just agreed to marry Lessa 
of Benden.

Maylia sighs, and shakes her head. "Nope, I'm gonna wash, then collect the 
sterile equipment." She plunges her hands into the redwort. "Ushu, her 
water's broke. Infection? Remember? Something we'd like to avoid? Rose 
petals won't help with that."

Lysseth> Lysseth has been staring towards the Living Cavern with eyes 
whirling a mix of blue and yellow for some time now, tail lashing and 
wings rustling with agitation. Shaking off a dozen fire-lizards or so, she 
sidles closer to the Infirmary, poking her head in the entrance with a 
questioning hum.

A'lex glances across Kassima, then leans behind, then in front again, but 
he can't seem to get a good look at Jh'rin either way, "Put her? Where?"

Lysseth> Lorieth watches the other green with a bit of the alarm her rider 
is feeling showing through.

Jh'rin mutters, "Um. A cot?" Yeah. That sounds good. Cot. Prostrate is 
good. Isn't it?

Lysseth> Golrath just hums softly. He knows what's going on, and there's 
nothing bad about it (to him).

A'lex says "Don't they have to have their feet in the air or something?"
"Makes the cold compress nicer," Ushu replies. "Doesn't it?" He starts to 
wash, at least his training has ingrained that skill in him automatically, 
as he does a good job of it even while his brain skitters off to something 
else.

The snout, muzzle, eyes, and eventually entire head of a dusky pine-green 
dragon appear in the entranceway, emitting a sound that's a cross between 
a worried rumble and a hum. "Lyss, I'm fine, in the name of the Egg," 
Kassi yells to her green, taking another one of those deep breaths. If 
only she could just tell herself this was all a dream, but dreams tend to 
exclude the element of pain. "They had me walk around for awhile, last 
time," she says vaguely, trying to remember. "Meli? You remember that, 
don't you?"

A'lex starts when he sees Lysseth, "Shards but she look huge in here."

Jh'rin speaks behind Kassima to the bronzerider. He mutters to A'lex, 
"That's... said... I... us into..." 

Maylia shrugs, shaking her head. For all that she's exasperated with Ushu, 
he must've gotten promoted for -some- reason. Alright. He wants rose 
petals in the water, he can put'em there. Hearing Kassi's question, though 
it's directed at Meli, she nods, patting her hands dry. "You c'n keep 
walking, might help. How're you feeling?" Dangerous question. One she'll 
likely not ask later on.

Meli drawls from her spot on the wall, "I think so, Kassi, 'course I went 
into labor not long after you, an' was a bit distracted after tha' m'self. 
F'it feels right t'walk, though, your body'd know best."

A'lex guffaws, the nervousness broken. "Yer bad!"

Jh'rin and A'lex are still holding Kassima. They're unaware of this need 
to walk.

A knife skitters quietly across the floor. How did A'lex get that out of 
her boot??

Ushu now has red up to his elbows, and might have gone further if the 
dragon snout hadn't distracted him. "Walking... I think I remember 
something about that." He moves over towards the trio of riders, speaking 
to Kassi a moment. "Tell me exactly how you feel, I'll put it in my 
research," he asks her with the first focused expression of the evening. 
Sort of like a scientist studying a new species of bug or something.

A'lex looks as if he's ready to headbutt this red armed reasearcher 
infront of them.

Jh'rin notes, trying to help, "I hear the second baby comes faster, and is 
usually bigger. Also often gets to walk faster. I have three sons already. 
And my dragon's named Siaroth."

"I feel as though I have just been dropped into a den of madmen, all of 
them babbling about rose petals," Kassi informs Maylia, looking both 
pained and bemused. She's never done this solo before or anything, but 
she's quite sure that even Garant didn't start talking about rose petals. 
"Walking, running, jogging, aught that'll make this go faster and keep 
Lyss from having hysterics, I'm *fine* with. 'Lex, what'd you just do with 
m'knife?" The look she gives the bronzerider isn't entirely kind. In fact, 
it's more like the sort of look meant to make a person spontaneously 
combust. Said look goes up in heat a few degrees when it's turned on Ushu. 
"Your *research*?"

A'lex changes the subject, "You said walking Kassi, should we be moving 
you about?"

Meli straightens, moving through the crowded room to Kassi's side, pretty 
much pushing Ushu out of the way. "Jhor, A'lex, Kassi needs t'walk a bit, 
d'you mind lettin' go a'her?" she asks through a smile. Kinda a creepy 
smile, but a smile nonetheless.

A'lex says "Oh, she can do it by herself?"

Kassima pats Jh'rin's shoulder comfortingly. "Try taking some breaths or 
something, eh?" she suggests, not quite so unkindly. "And let me walk a 
bit? I think I should walk. Or do *something* that doesn't involve rose 
petals. And mayhaps get out of these clothes at some point or another." 
And, if A'lex is fortunate, leave the knives behind too.

Jh'rin nods and puts his side of Kassima down. "Okay. I can be right here, 
though. I've done this before. Well, no, I haven't done this before, but 
I've watched this done before. Actually...oh. You wanna walk. Okay. I can 
breathe too. And undress you. I know how to do that. Yeah."

Ushu's lost in thought again, oblivious, then suddenly turns back to start 
collecting stuff again. Not necessarily the Right Stuff, but stuff at 
least. Mutterings continue.

Telgar Weyr> Kassima just howls at Jhor, and dies laughing right at the 
keyboard.

Maylia rolls her eyes. right. That's why Ushu got promoted. "Kassi, just 
do whatever feels good. Or less bad. If walking helps, walking helps. If 
you'd like a backrub, I'm *sure* Jhor'd be delighted." She turns to Ushu, 
debating whether or not to tell him to just sit and take notes. "Look," 
she decides to tell everyone. "This is something Kassi and most woman do 
*fine*. Or else none of us'd be here!"

A'lex quickly ducks out from under Kassi, eying up her backside, incase 
she has any knives stuck in her belt...

Meli chuckles at Jhor. "Undress her... I'll bet y'do." She steps out of 
the way, moving to the cot and fiddling with the sheets and the table 
beside it.

A'lex has this look on his face which blatently says, "If I don't get 
those knives away from her, someone will surely die tonight."

Jh'rin is now Kassimaless and is feeling, well, at a loss. He sticks his 
hands in the pockets of his leathers and follows Kassima like a shadow.

The sound Kassi makes is an interesting cross between a laugh, a wheeze, 
and a choking noise. "Aye, I rather recall that you do." If she's going to 
give birth in a den of lunacy, at least she'll be following the family 
tradition. With a hiss of breath through clenched teeth, she starts pacing 
around a select square of the room, muttering under her breath about 
shards if she'll ever let herself get into this situation again. Just 
because she's a sadist, she draws one of her knives and offers it to 
A'lex--first point first, and then, with a sweet smile, hilt first. "Hold 
this for me?"

Jh'rin eyes the knife and the manner in which it's presented to A'lex and 
finds himself following a little LESS closely.

Maylia resists holding her own hand to her forehead. "Aren't things 
s'posed to be kept calm around now?" she asks herself, surveying the 
mayhem. A healer, interrested in research, and fussing about minor 
details. A bronzerider terrified for his life. A greenrider-father, who's 
just beyond help. And Kassi, who likely has knives stashed in places she'd 
rather not think about.

A'lex sighs, "Surely dear."

"M'calm," Meli replies, though she's obviously a bit amused at the 
gentlemen as well. "F'you need m'help," she says to the two women, "let me 
know."

A'lex sets the knive, as well as the one he pilfered earlier on a counter, 
then, as if by accident, discovers the Wine skin slung on his shoulder. 
Uncorking it, he offers it to Jh'rin, "Here."

Telgar Weyr> A'lex says, "The knive? Where am I from?"

"Is that *my* jacket she has tied around her waist?" a squeaking voice 
asks from the direction of the entrance. V'dan, it seemed, has noticed his 
item of missing apparel. When Kassi gives him a positively incindiery 
glance, he gulps, turns paste white, and flees like the hounds of hell 
were at his feet. "You kidding, Maylia? This is Telgar. Naught's ever calm 
here." Again in that plaintive, unsure voice, she asks, "How long should I 
do this...?"

Telgar Weyr> Kassima says, "The Lunatic Fringe, A'lex. Where else?"

Jh'rin takes hold of the wine like a fishwife takes hold of her 
philandering husband's throat and puts the skin to his lips. For a very, 
very long moment.

Maylia flashes Meli a larger smile than she ever has before. And utters a 
relieved sigh. "Meli, wonderful! Would you mind washing up, just'n case?" 
She looks around. Towels, and various healer implements that she hopes to 
Faranth they'll not need (not a sharp blade among'em) "As long as you 
want, Kassi. You'll know when you don't want, or can't walk any more. And 
tell Lysseth that if she keeps sticking her snout in here, I'll get 
someone to wash IT with redwort." Thinking a moment, she amends that, and 
says more kindly, "Or rather, just ask her to keep back, a bit?"

A'lex says "Don't bruise the wine!"

Ushu sets a bowl of cool, rose-scented water on the table beside the cot, 
dropping a clean cloth in it. "There. That's perfect," he congratulates 
himself. He stares at the tableau a moment longer before turning around, 
regaining his puzzled expression as he watches the activity. Ah, well, 
that other healer, what's-her-name, seems to have things handled. He heads 
back towards the cupboards, still muttering.

Meli smiles and nods at Maylia, pushing up her sleeves as she heads 
towards the redwort bowl. "Knew I shouldn't have worn m'dress t'day," she 
murmurs good-naturedly.

Kassima eyes Jh'rin with some concern--but since she'd get drunk too if 
she could, elects not to say anything. She just walk-waddles on over to 
her dragon's snout and gives it a not ungentle shove. "Lysseth," she 
explains through grit teeth, "is somewhat paranoid. I'll be *fine*, love, 
honest. You can't do aught t'help me. Just go hum, or something." She's 
fairly certain that's what dragons are supposed to do in these 
circumstances. Faranth knows, her fire-lizards are making enough of a 
racket. "I think," she says, turning back, "that I would like to stop 
walking now." Very calm, very collected, while inside she's still as 
panicked as that vacuumed hamster.

A'lex is seriously worried about that wine...

Jh'rin doesn't want to point out the sort of thing that's inside the 
wineskin is what's lead them to where they are at present. He offers A'lex 
the wine, not looking particularly happy about the prospect.

Maylia glances up from her contemplation of the healer, wondering if she 
should get him to do the ever handy but completely useless task of boiling 
water. Doesn't do anything but occupy someone who's in the way. Shaking 
her head, deciding he's not in the way, and A'lex or Jhor might need such 
a distraction later, she speaks up. "Try taking deep, long breaths, Kassi. 
How're those contractions?" Duh.

A'lex gladly accepts the wine, and downs a bit himself.

"Love? Is there anything I can, uh, do?" Jhor inquires with even greater 
reluctance that what he showed relinquishing the wine. "Like, uh...uh..." 
Like not faint?

Meli moves over towards the cot, ready to assist in the grand lowering, 
and smiles over at Kassi. "Y'doin' really well. Be over 'fore y'know it, 
luv."

A'lex says "I can help you with that Jh'rin..."

Maylia nods quickly as Kassi decides she's had enough walking. That's 
usually a good sign that things are moving along well.

Maylia arranges towels and pillows on the cot, so that her Mentor can 
half-sit comfortably. As comfortably as one can, mind you, while trying to 
force something as large as a baby's head through where it's got to fit. 
"Alright, Kassi," she doesn't even bat an eyelash, as she would were she 
not in the old apprentice-healer state she's presently in, "Now would be a 
good time to lose some clothing. Jhor, A'lex, why don't you grab some 
blankets for her, to keep her warm?"

"As painful as if'n m'innards were being torn out and tied into a child's 
feline's-cradle," Kassi replies succinctly. "I don't think walking's 
helping much." Expression softening just a touch--but not a great deal, 
because she does remember what and whom got her in this mess in the first 
place, and the wine gets a truly murderous look before she suggests, 
"Breathe, and hide m'knives from me? I think I should lose 'em a'fore I 
lose m'reason instead." She tries to smile, and not give away the fact 
that it's all too easy for her to picture herself trying to kill, or 
de-masculinize, every man in the room before too long.

A'lex says "There's more knives? Shards!! I thought I got them all..." he 
looks at the pile of three.... THREE? Where'd he pull the third from?

Ushu, though red of arm, sits himself down and starts writing on a bound 
set of hides, looking up every once in a while and studying the scene. 
"Hmm."

Jh'rin knows this part. He can do the undressing thing. Placing his hands 
on Kassima, he starts to work at clothing. One hears, beneath his fingers, 
a little rip or rending of cloth.

A'lex frets about the knives for a moment longer, then goes in search of 
blanket...

Meli wrings out the cloth in the rosy water, and then gently wipes Kassi's 
brow with it. "Least he's good f'somethin'," she comments. "Once we get 
y'undressed, we c'n see how well you're doin', know whether it's time 
t'push yet or not."

Kassima explains to A'lex, with a wince as some part of her clothing 
tears, "You forgot the one in m'jacket, the wherry-skewer, and the one in 
m'other boot. Jhor, love, be careful? Don't know if'n I'll ever need this 
stuff again, but y'never know."

A'lex swears, puts blankets down next to the cot and works on stripping 
Kassima of all dangerous objects... unfortunately, her hands won't come 
off.

Jh'rin nods rapidly, head bouncing up and down as he finally gets things 
free. "Yes, ma'am, careful, ma'am, yes you betcha."

A'lex passes the wineskin back to Jh'rin.

Jh'rin chug chug chug burp hiccup chug gasp gulp.

"And *don't* call me ma'am," Kassi adds, with some force as another 
contraction hits. She gives A'lex a truly befuddled look as he tries to 
remove her hands, but is too busy trying to breathe properly to comment. 
"Isn't there some sort of gown thing I can wear or something? Oh, 
blankets. Right. Those'll do." She snares one and tries to get *herself* 
onto the cot, since the men are busy getting drunk. Typical, just typical. 
She mutters a curse or two under her breath, the sort that might not only 
make a Seacrafter blush, but *could* make a drunken Seacrafter who's just 
had his legs amputated after hearing that his wife left him blush.

Meli gently tries to remove the removed clothing from Jhor's hands so that 
she can set them aside somewhere safe, even as A'lex disarms her. "Under 
th'blanket, now, Jh'rin, don' want her catchin' a chill."

Jh'rin nods rapidly, shoves the wine at A'lex's chest, and puts Kassima 
where Meli directs. At present, he is rather easy to command and lead, 
like a docile old runner mare.

A'lex takes the skin back, takes a hit from it, then checks for hidden 
daggers in and about Kassi's hair. Although he does it from a distance, 
seeing as she is naked and in labor and all... distance is a good thing, 
yessir!

Maylia watches the wine disappear, shaking her head, and murmuring 
"Shards. Shells and Shards." They're going to get drunk. And pass out. 
Some help theyll be if... hmmm. They'll pass out anyways. Extending her 
arm to help Kassima down, she gestures to the two males actually in 
attendance. Ushu's not being counted, fussing as he is with notes and 
things. "Alright, how'bout you two give her shoulders some support." Not 
quite a command, not quite a question, either.

Meli moves back towards the counters, collecting a fresh set of cloths and 
blankets for the baby, whenever it eventually arrives. "Maylia, how's she 
look?"

A'lex says "Support?" You mean TOUCH her? "How?"

Jh'rin has done THIS part before and sits beside Kassima, at the ready to 
offer his body and arm and whatever else (now the knives are gone) to give 
the mother of his child some assistance.

Kassima sighs with relief, both at the help and at not having to stand 
anymore. For all one could tell, her knee-length, unbound hair *could* 
contain daggers... it would be just like her to stow one or two away in 
her tresses if she could. "Shells, shards, fardles, and bloody Faranth's 
golden effing excrement," she corrects Maylia almost absently, clutching 
at one side of the cot with whitened knuckles. "Why, why, why, why, why, 
why, why did I let myself get into this mess again?" Just because she's 
already asked that question several times tonight doesn't mean that she's 
arrived at a satisfactory answer.

Maylia gives A'lex a -look- as if to say, I'm gonna look at my mentor 
WHERE? and you don't want to touch her? "Sit yourself behind the pillows, 
so she can lean back. And hold her hand if she wants it, I can always 
bandage that later." As descretely as she can, she nods back to Meli, then 
tells the soon-to-be-mom-again "Not much longer, really. You'll start to 
want to push, soon."

A'lex says "b-b-Bandage?" But her moves to comply, ever good at taking 
orders. He grins weakly at Kassi, then hands the skin back to Jh'rin, 
"Here"

Jh'rin shakes his head, as if trying to gather some of himself and be 
Brave. "I'll be fine. And I'll hold yer hand, Kassima."

Kassima flashes Jh'rin a brief, genuine smile, probably the last that'll 
be seen from her this evening until the fun and games are done. A'lex gets 
a dark green glare that promises he *will* be singing soprano as soon as 
Kassi can get her knives back. "Good. Good. That sounds good," she 
mutters, leaning gingerly back against the pillows. "Hands would be nice, 
too." She can break them, and for once, she probably won't get punished by 
the Wingleaders for undue violence! That thought wins another wan smile 
from her, which is notably short-lived. She lets go of the cot long enough 
to take up any hands offered.

Ushu leans forward, licking the tip of his writing stylus, squinting a bit 
to see. Suddenly, all color drains from his face. "It gets _that_ big?" he 
exclaims, before toppling over sideways and landing in a crumbled pile in 
the corner.

A'lex flinches as Kassi applies the deathgrip to his left hand.

Jh'rin kisses Kassima's temple and whispers, "It'll be all right, love. 
I'm here. I won't faint this time, not like I did with Rykel. I promise."

Maylia turns, first to the corner at the solid *thunk* that the Healer 
makes as he topples over, then aghast towards Jh'rin. Now is *not* the 
time to be mentioning other women.

Meli sets her pile of things on the far side of the cot, ready for the 
baby. She then moves around to the head of the cot, past the two men, and 
reaches down to return the cool cloth to Kassi's forehead.

"You," Kassi informs the Healer in a voice that would and has sent V'dan 
and other wise males screaming desperately from her presence, "are a dead 
man." But even as she starts trying to get up to kill him as she so 
obviously wants to do, he faints, and she subsides into a long string of 
quite creative (and anatomically impossible) curses. "He dies," she 
chants, once she's run out of verbal ammo. "He dies, he dies. Just as soon 
as I can get up, he dies. And don't worry, Jh'rin. If'n you faint, I'll 
just break your hand." Well, no one ever said she excelled at this 
reassuring business.

A'lex says "I won't faint, no sir..."

Jh'rin looks panicked. Worried. Shocked. Terrified. Pale. Near fainting. 
Until that last bit. "Not me either, uh uh."

Maylia, more casually than she would ordinarily think possible, sits and 
waits. Quite a feat, considering what the woman in labour is threatening 
to do to the hapless healer. With an attempt at being reassuring, she 
smiles at the remaining men.

A'lex manages a grin back...

Telgar Weyr> Maylia thinks it'll be a long, long time before I give birth. 
Thanks. Had to say that.

Telgar Weyr> J'lyn grins. Better let Tas know that now, Maylia. :)

"Feel like pushin', Kassi?" Meli asks, with a glance at Maylia at the same 
time, as if to inquire if it's time yet. Sure, she can stay relatively 
calm, it's not /her/ this time.

A'lex grunts, "No, she definately feels like squeezing."

Kassima doesn't look too mollified by that; she's still stewing, and the 
only break in her angry glower--stress such as this has a way of breaking 
Kassi's usual control on her temper, you see--is when she enters the next 
contraction, at which point her features contort in a horrendous grimace, 
accompanied by an extorting of the death grip on *both* hands and a 
suppressed scream. "That does it," she pants when it's finally over. "That 
*does* it. After this, either men will have to have the babies, or I will 
castrate them all. *All.* Each and every one. I don't know how I'll do it, 
but by shards, I'll find a way!"

Telgar Weyr> Kassima says, "Oh, but Maylia, don't you want to have an 
excuse to break peoples' hands too? ;)"

Jh'rin looks like he's about to scream, too; his hand is certainly being 
crushed into cinders, and he's allergic to pain.

Telgar Weyr> Maylia considers this. And might change her mind... :)

A'lex sits there and politely sweats...

Telgar Weyr> Kassima says, "Politely sweats? No, I *don't* want to know."

Telgar Weyr> A'lex laughs!

"Yeeeessss," Kassi hisses at Meli, shaking her head irritably to 
dislodge sweat and rose-water soaked bangs from her eyes. "I. Want. This. 
Over. *Now.*" Will anyone be brave enough to tell her that she can only 
dream?

Maylia talks softly to Kassi throughout, nodding politely to the threats 
Kassi's making. No, she doesn't point out that she'd rather one in 
particular was left fully male. The rest of 'em, be hanged, but she wants 
one left alone. She says totally useless things, things that were told to 
her to say, like, "Push only during contractions, yes, that's right, push, 
push, push, OK, breath, relax..." On and On.

A'lex whimpers, staring at his hand, which is already showing signs of 
bruising, "Me too."

Meli takes a moment to head over and check Ushu, resettling him into a 
slightly less awkward position, though she doesn't do anything else for 
him. "Jus' think about your lovely new baby, Kassi," she calls over. And 
then adds, "An' how many fun things y'can do to Ushu later."

Jh'rin says quietly as he holds Kassima's hand, "Meli's right, Kassima; 
think about the baby, love..."

Maylia grins a thanks to Meli as the older rider rights the fainted 
Healer. Perhaps she didn't do it out of former apprentice revenge, or 
perhaps she wanted someone who wasn't male in close attendance, just in 
case they didn't get all the blades away from Kassima.

Since Maylia, at least, is being moderately helpful, Kassi allows 
grudgingly, "Mayhaps I could leave your bronzerider alone. *If'n* you let 
me castrate Solarith instead." She's not taking any chances, nope nope. "I 
can push?" Oh, good. That *does* mollify her a bit, and she even relaxes 
her Greenrider Grip O' Death for a moment. Of course, just when she's 
feeling merciful is when her muscles contract again, and she manages to 
tighten her hold somehow. "I know, Jhor, I know," she whimpers between 
breaths. "But this *hurts*!"

If anything was going to make Jhor forget his own fear it is Kassima's 
sheer discomfort, and he says quietly, like the fearless man he is in 
Threadfall, "I know, Kassima, love, I know, but I'm here. Lysseth's here. 
The baby's almost here. We're all together and won't leave you. Promise."

Unless knives come out, that is.

The pain is outrageous. A'lex mumbles, "This is my punishment for enjoying 
that Ice Cream too much, isn't it?"

"Promise?" Kassi pleads, trying to stay focused and *not* scream or 
threaten the lives of the peanut gallery like she did last time; she 
learned that doesn't help much. From where she's hovering near the 
entrance, Lysseth gives a quiet, supportive whuffle. "I suppose I can do 
this, then. But can I *pleeeeeeease* kill the Healer when this is over? 
Please? Please please please?"

A'lex says "YES! Kill the healer!!"

Jh'rin smiles, giving her a kiss on the temple. "We'll toss him into 
th'feeding pens right before Leilanth's next flight. That'll give him a 
sporting chance."

Telgar Weyr> A'lex adjusts his Status.

Maylia just lets the Solarith castration idea slide, being -relatively- 
certain that, this being much more difficult than castrating human males, 
she'll leave it to last. Continually checking on the progress, she keeps 
muttering advice as to when to push, and when not to, reminding her mentor 
to breath. At least once in a while. She doesn't say yea or nay to the 
idea of killing the healer, but instead asks, "If it would help, grasp 
your knees for pushing. But ONLY during contractions. Or, keep fracturing 
away, I think I can remember how to set hands."

Telgar Weyr> Maylia giggles at the changed status for both Kassi and 
A'lex :)

Kassima grumbles gamely, "That's so *impersonal*. But at least it'll be 
amusing. Can I strangle V'dan?" Why quit while she's ahead? A'lex's 
exclamation earns him an odd look even from Kassi, and she grips *his* 
hand with a little extra strength the next time she needs to push. "Don't 
wanna break m'legs," she gasps between breaths. She'll just break the 
men's hands, thank you. "How soon...?"

Jh'rin gives Maylia a rather unhappy glance, then he grins. Could be 
worse. HE could be trying to force that thing out.

  Name       Sex   Position         Status                       Idle  Q
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
* A'lex      (M)   Wingsecond       YES! Kill the Healer!          1m    
* Alwyn      (M)   Resident                                        7m  - 
* Halam      (M)   Stablehand       Muckin'Stalls Wanna help?      1m    
* Kassima    (F)   Wingsecond       < InsertApocalypseHere >       4s    
* Maylia     (F)   Greenrider       < insertCENSOREDhere >        25s    
* Meli       (F)   Greenrider       Any Dream Will Do             12m    
* R'val      (M)   Acting Wi2       Weyr Milkman Dan               7s    
* Tinya      (F)   Bluerider        The prodigal daughter          7s   
---------------------------- ( 8 players ) -------------------------------

Player Name        On For Idle  Doing
Kassima             14:00   0s  PlanningToKillAHealer,Doo-Dah,Doo-Dah.
60 Players logged in.

Telgar Weyr> Kassima sets her @do, to the tune of 'Camptown Races.' :P ;)

A'lex is slowly sliding to the floor due to the imminent implosion of 
every bone in his hand. With the happy, free hand, he unstops the wine 
again, and takes a nice big gulp. "'Rin?" he offers.

"Not much longer, Kassi," Meli calls over after a quick look. "Startin' 
t'crown... Maylia, you'll support th'head, an' turn th'shoulder?"

"Kassima, if y'break my hand, I'm stuck here," Jhor reports, by the by. 
"Can't take a busted hand /between/," A new tack.

A'lex says "You can't? Kassi, that means Channie is here all the time too! 
If'n I can't go and see her!"

Kassima asks hopefully, "Would that mean you'd be here t'change diapers 
and whatnay?" She's never really liked that particular chore, no matter 
how much she loves her kids. "And if'n Channie's here, she can't be 
spreading rumors at the 'Reaches!" So... the downside of these things 
would be, what?

Maylia adds her voice to Meli's confirming. "Not long't'all." She nods, 
positioning herself to aid the delivery.

Telgar Weyr> Meli pictures Maylia in full catcher's gear...

Telgar Weyr> Maylia laughs!

Telgar Weyr> A'lex says, "Put one right in here..."

Telgar Weyr> Maylia's roomie didn't understand the concept of attending an 
online barbeque months ago. He's really having trouble grasping the idea 
of assisting a birth, needless to say...

Kassima takes a deeeep breath, expelling it in a long half-sigh, half 
groan. "Nay much longer, then--" Her chant is broken as she leans forward 
with the force of the next contraction, and this time, *does* scream. 
Loudly. Piercingly. But at least that means the fire-lizards are drowned 
out for a second; their humming was really starting to get on her nerves.

Benden LC> From deep in the weyr, probably from the infirmary, come the 
rebounding echoes of a particularly loud scream.

Telgar Weyr> Kassima invites said roomie to create a female character and 
give birth online. It's fun! You get to scream and curse and threaten to 
kill people! :)

Maylia simply nods, she's heard her mother scream, her aunts scream, and 
countless other women at Healer Hall scream. It's a fact of life. She just 
fixes her attention on the baby making a rather rapid appearance.

Jh'rin clenches his teeth and glances past Kassima at A'lex, as if he's 
wondering whether the other male is suffering the way he presently is.
A'lex's eyes are rolled back in his head, and he seems to be mumbling some 
sort of singsong phrase over and over to himself.

A'lex mutters, "....don't you.... buy you a.... momma's gonna... ring."

"I hate that song," Kassi informs A'lex raggedly, somewhat hoarse due to 
the fact that she probably just ripped her vocal chords raw. "Once more 
only?" she begs Maylia, as though the greenrider has the power to make 
that so no matter whether or not it's actually the case.

Jh'rin uses his free hand to brush Kassima's hair from her face, and he 
whispers, "Just a little longer, then, love, and you can...." Stop 
breaking our hands. "Rest fer a while."

Maylia nods quickly, if only for the sake of the two men present, and 
answers, "Only one more, just one more!" Assuring the greenrider of this, 
even if she thinks it might actually be two.

A'lex starts to cry, whether from the wine, the pain, or the fear for his 
life, or any combination there of, he just lets loose, sniffling and 
snerking, tears streaming down his face.

Maylia doesn't even bat an eyelash at A'lex's sniveling. He's a man, and 
can only be expected to tolerate so much. Besides, she's more concerned 
with the purply-gooey slippery head making an appearance, and getting the 
shoulders free next.

Telgar Weyr> Maylia knows. Too much information. :P

Telgar Weyr> A'lex says, "I was going to comment on your attention to 
detail..."

Telgar Weyr> Maylia sorries for the too graphic details.

Kassima gives A'lex a look of utter disgust, and Jh'rin's hand a quick 
squeeze, heedless of the fact that this is probably not the best way to 
demonstrate affection at the moment. "Rest would be good," she whispers. 
"All right, then. I can do this." Nodding a weary assent with Maylia's 
assessment, she steels herself and gives one more push, looking indeed as 
though her intestines were being torn out--and screaming like it, too. If 
that Healer manages to stay unconscious through a yell like that, he 
probably won't even notice when Kassi kills him.

Telgar Weyr> Kassima just shudders. The mention of purple made me think of 
Barney for a moment, and *that* would really be a horror.

A'lex looks up at Kassi, "Thank you for letting me be here for this, it's 
just... beautiful." Ok, it's definately the wine talking.

Jh'rin is an older hand at drinking. He's not THAT affected. Besides, this 
is his child being born. He has other reasons for emotions. "One more 
push, love. And just...y'know. Bear down." Like he can -feel- his hand 
anymore.

As it turns out, Maylia was wrong. Once more was enough, and she finds 
herself holding a black haired slippery little thing, which this early on 
only remotely resembles a baby. With a triumphant yell (despite not really 
having done much herself at all) she declares, "You DID it!" Accompanied 
by a SQUALL from the little one. As she lays the baby on Kassi's still 
swollen abdomen, she tells her softly, "It's a girl!"

A'lex snerks again, "A girl..."

Jh'rin no longer feels the pain in his hand. He doesn't, in fact, feel 
anything at all except what Maylia's words instill in him. "A girl?" he 
answers hollowly.

Kassima collapses back against the pillows, gasping for breath and 
relaxing her grip on the hands--a grip one would've sworn it'd take the 
Jaws of Life to extricate either man from just a moment before. "A girl?" 
she echoes Jh'rin, looking amazed. You mean there was actually a baby that 
resulted from all of this? "A daughter?"

A'lex unggghhhhs as the bloodflow returns to his hand and the pain 
returns.

A'lex says "Congratulations."

Kassima would probably slap the snerking A'lex, but she's entirely too 
awestruck by the tiny human being currently lying on her stomach to 
register anything else. Fortunately for him.

Hey, that was a snerk of happiness...

A snerk's a snerk, man. It's not like Kassi can tell the difference.

Maylia quickly takes care of the necessities of a newborn, wrapping her up 
carefully. Surprisingly, given her distaste for babies, there is a tender 
expression on her face. "Thought about a name?" she asks, softly.

But it was all wet and snotty with tears...

Jh'rin gazes at the baby, then at her mother, and he asks tremulously, 
"Our daughter? We have a daughter?"

One might even wonder if perhaps Maylia's softening to the idea of 
children. Despite what she just saw Kassi go through. Somebody better warn 
T'saren.

Telgar Weyr> Maylia smirks. Y'all think Mya's hormones were in overdrive 
-before- huh?

Telgar Weyr> A'lex FEARS...

Tears and snot which had just *better* not be dripping on Kassi right now. 
Not that she'd notice, or care, even if they were. Struggling to sit up, 
she shakes her head. "Names? Names, what? Nay... nay girl's names, 
anyway... can I hold her?" She extends her hands, the fingers of which are 
turning red where her rings cut into them. "I think that's what this 
means, Jhor," she says, with a slow beam of purest joy starting to spread 
over her face.

Jh'rin bends forward to kiss Kassima with utter tenderness, whispering, 
"Thank you, love."

Telgar Weyr> Kassima cackles. *I'm* not about to warn Tas, nope. ;)

A'lex just sits back and smiles at the little wrinkled face.

Maylia smiles tenderly, helping Kassi to move the warmly wrapped baby 
girl as the new mother sits. "That's what it means, alright."

Lysseth> Lysseth rears back on her haunches, wings spread wide as she 
raises her voice in a triumphant, crystalline *bugle* of draconic joy!

Lysseth> Nraith warbles his congratulations.

Lysseth> Tierth joins in the trumpeting, wings spread for balance, out of 
excitement, and congratulations.

Kassima cradles the baby close, tears welling in her eyes as she stares 
down at her newborn child. "Thank *you*, Jhor," she whispers back, raising 
her gaze to meet his, still beaming in utmost delight. "Look, look--isn't 
she beautiful...?"

"Just like her mother," says Jh'rin softly, meaning every syllable. "Just 
like her mother."

A'lex sighs. Pondering Fatherhood? Naaaaahhhh.

Dragon> Lysseth senses that Tierth projects a wash of congratulations, and 
excitement. << My rider is very *beyond happiness* for your rider >>

It's incredible how pain can sober you up. A'lex says, "That's just 
amazing. She's so tiny..."

Kassima laughs, raising a trembling hand to touch the baby's nose and 
caress her cheek. "Nay *just* like. In some ways, she's your spit and 
image... shells, what name can we find for her? She'll probably need one, 
y'know. The way of things and all."

Maylia watches the couple, no trio, with a content little smile, not 
wishing to invade further. Her eyes dart to A'lex, and seeing the 
expression on his face, she nods. Because she knows just what he's 
thinking, and it's certainly close to what she's thinking.

Telgar Weyr> A'lex kinda is partial to Jhorima... then she can be Aunt 
Jhorima and invent syrup for our flapjacks! ::grin::

Lysseth> Tierth senses that Lysseth's reply is given in a whirl of 
dizzying, iridescent silvers and golds, shot through with rainbow 
starbursts and mental pyrotechnics produced by the sort of joy that no 
other situation can match for this dragon. << My rider, >> she says in a 
voice that resonates with pride and delight, << is *beyond happiness* 
herself. I think she will appreciate your rider's sentiments, once she is 
capable of noticing anything but the hatchling! >>

Jh'rin says lamely, "It doesn't matter what we call her, love. Anything 
you think of is fine."

Telgar Weyr> Kassima says, "A'lex, I'm not currently inclined to kill you, 
but don't push your luck. ;)"

Telgar Weyr> A'lex smooches a Kassi.

Telgar Weyr> Maylia is partiall to Jhassila, or hmmm. Gotta start with a 
K, huh?

Telgar Weyr> Kassima nodnods and has a name picked out. :) OOCly, anyway. 
ICly, Kassi's still thinking. :)

Telgar Weyr> A'lex says, "Alexina?"

Telgar Weyr> Maylia really hopes it's pronouncable, as most of what I can 
come up with that starts with K isn't... ;)

There's a long moment of silence from Kassima as she gives this matter the 
consideration it deserves. Finally, a slow, almost impish smile replaces 
her 12,000-glow beam for an instant. "I think, considering who her father 
is, that there's really only one name that'd be suitable for her. What say 
you to Kharisma, love?"

Telgar Weyr> Maylia oooooos, and likes it!

A'lex grins.

Jh'rin repeats slowly, as if testing the name on his palatte, "Kharisma? 
Like...oh. Oh, that's really pretty...."

Maylia murmurs softly, "Kharisma," nodding slowly.

Telgar Weyr> Kassima grins. When I realized it'd fit perfectly if you 
replaced the C with a K, I couldn't resist. :)

A'lex whispers, "Khari... that's nice."

Telgar Weyr> Tinya thinks 'Karin' might be nice, but what'd you pick, 
Kassi?

Kassima nods firmly, the matter decided. "Then Kharisma 'twill be. 
Daughter of Jh'rin and Kassima, and more lovely than any girl on the 
planet--save a'course for her sister," she of course must qualify.

Telgar Weyr> Kassima says, "Kharisma. :)"

Telgar Weyr> Mehlani ack. :)

Telgar Weyr> Tinya says, "Oh, good lord. That's awfully contorted, 
although I suppose it does technically fit. :)"

Jh'rin, tired (though not as weary by near as Kassima, but half-drunk) and 
in some mandiblish pain, leans his head against Kassima and gathers her 
close, letting the moment for the three of them become closer and more 
personal.

Telgar Weyr> Kassima says, "It was better than Khjorassimna. ;)"

A'lex stands and makes his way towards the door, time to let the family be 
a family, if only for a while...

Telgar Weyr> Tinya laughs. What _wouldn't_ be?

A'lex catches Jh'rin's gaze and points to the knives on the counter.

A'lex starts off down the long tunnel to the inner cavern.

Kassima sighs quietly, a happy sigh, and rests her head against Jh'rin's 
shoulder. She is very, very tired, but the euphoria and wonder of the 
moment erase all memories of pain as nothing else could. "Thank you, 
love," she murmurs again, almost too quiet to be heard.

"Ssssh, sleep," he encourages gently, making himself comfortable beside 
her as if not intending to leave anytime soon.

Maylia quickly finishes up what needs to be done, being as unobtrusive as 
possible. After washing her hands again, she replaces her ring, and softly 
asks, "Anything else you need?"

Kassima shakes her head wordlessly in reply to Maylia, letting her eyes 
close in the sleep that even adrenaline can't forestall for long. Even the 
baby is quiet, but then, she's been through a lot tonight too.

Maylia smiles again, shields the glowbaskets, and assists a barely 
concious Ushu out.

Maylia walks out into the bowl.