She's Yours

Writers: Miriah, Suzee
Date Posted: 6th July 2019

Characters: D'ale, Aviday, Daturna
Description: Daturna sees a familiar face and introduces him to Aviday
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 11, day 20 of Turn 9

D'ale

Aviday

Daturna watched her daughter from the Sands and as the little green
approached, then walked over the other girl, she held her breath.
Would the green maul her child as well? Then she saw Aviday fall to
her knees with a cry and wrap her arms around the little dragonet.
Daturna gave a whoop, arms thrust up in the air. _Her daughter_, her
little Aviday, had Impressed!

As soon as the crowd began to disperse, Daturna began pushing her way
towards where the new weyrlings were assembling, but was stopped by
the appearance of a familiar face. "D'ale!" She hurried forward, her
pretty face bright with pride. "Did you see her? Did you see my
Aviday?" The thought that D'ale hadn't seen her in nearly fifteen
turns didn't occur to her. "She Impressed a little green!"

D'ale had many turns experience of dealing with exuberant parents when
their children Impressed. So he grinned at Daturna and nodded. "It's
wonderful isn't it?" Though he hadn't exactly seen the Impression he
knew the personal joy involved.

"And it's so wonderful that you're here to see it!" Daturna rambled
on, tucking her arm into D'ale's. "I never expected to see you again
after you left River Bluff. You know, I thought she was G'ban's for so
long, but she never got dark like he was. And I mothed so many flights
with you and him." She patted his arm. "I thought she might have been
E'dil's as well, but she looks nothing like him at all."

D'ale lifted a brow. Now he got a faint inkling of who she was and
where and when he'd known her. Besides those other rider names were
familiar from his time at River Bluff. He looked around but the
weyrlings had all gone off for their first meal. He didn't want to
make it obvious that he didn't really remember her very well and he
was curious. "Well," he said tucking the woman's hand into his elbow.
"We should go see her then."

Going to see her daughter with a handsome brownrider on her arm was
making the day even better. "We should. She'll be thrilled. Especially
since you've come all the way from Dragonsfall."

As they made their way towards the weyrlings, Daturna called out. "Aviday!"

The girl turned, spotted the man on her mother's arm and sighed, but
was too happy with her Kobeth to let it trouble her. Of course her
mother had already picked up a new rider, but only Kobeth mattered
today. Her Kobeth. "Hi mama!" She gave a quick wave and continued to
carefully feed Kobeth small pieces of the meat, instructing her to
chew.

}: Who's that? :{

**My mother. She's coming to see you.**

"Congratulations Dragonrider," D'ale's warm baritone greeted the young woman.

"Chew, Kobeth." She glanced up and smiled quickly at the brownrider.
"Thank you! This is Kobeth." She hurriedly placed another small chunk
of meat into the gaping maw and the small green eagerly chewed before
demanding another piece.

"Aviday, this could be your Da. I'm pretty sure this time. D'ale and I
spent lots of time together."

Instead of reacting with gladness and surprise, Aviday barely looked
up. "Mama, another one? I thought you said the last one was the last
time."

D'ale raised a single eyebrow as he watched both women. He certainly
remembered time spent with Daturna but she'd never said anything
before now about a child that might be his. "Pardon me," D'ale bowed
and disentangled himself from the woman. "I have no information about
this situation. I'm sorry rider. Tend to your lifemate. If, at some
point in the future, you would like to get to know me, please reach
out to Torerath through your lifemate and I will make myself available
to answer any questions you might have." There was certainly no
reason to foist himself on this girl right now when she could only
give them a tiny fraction of her attention. "I will be at the feast
later should you wish to seek me out."

With that he turned and walked away.

"But..." Daturna's jaw dropped as she glanced back and forth from
Aviday to D'ale's retreating back. "But...I'm sure this time..." Her
voice trailed off.

Aviday sighed, more annoyed than upset. "Mama, I'm trying to feed
Kobeth. It can wait."

"Well, I am proud of you..." She gave her daughter a quick hug, then
hurried after D'ale. "Wait!"

D'ale sighed and turned around remembering the woman and the lengths
he'd had to go to the first time around. "Yes Daturna?"

"She is yours, D'ale. I'm sure of it." Daturna lightly gripped his
arm. "She even looks like you. Look at her. You can see it. She
looks more like you than she does like me. And since I'm really
certain, more certain than I've ever been, maybe once she's
graduated, we can all go to Dragonsfall. Be a family. "

D'ale sighed again and sat on the edge of a nearby table. "Daturna,"
he shook his head. "Even if she is mine, and I'm not disagreeing with
you at all. She looks a lot like my son K'ale. But even then," he
said. "I already have a family. A weyrmate and other children."

"Oh." Daturna's hopeful expression dropped as her fanciful images of
them living all in a weyr together faded. Yet again, she was
disappointed. But, he was right. Aviday did look a great deal like
him; she'd only remembered him as a possibility after she'd seen him
again. "You don't seem very surprised...I guess I should have told you
before you left. I just thought that...I hoped she was someone else's
then."

He looked first at the floor and then back at her. There had been a
time in his life when he'd only been seeking to lift the nearest
skirt. He'd spread himself around fairly liberally back then. "I
understand," he said a little sadly. "I wish I'd known she was mine
but I understand. I'll talk to her when she's ready. I'll always be
willing to talk to her."

"But you _will_ talk to her, right? If she wants?" Daturna had the
grace to look embarrassed, if only for herself. "I think she does want
one, but I'm afraid I've disappointed her there. Please talk to her
before you leave. Please?"

"I will," he said. He knew the woman well enough to know anything else
he might say would go in one hear and out the other without a pause.
So he just stood, smiled. and kissed her hand. "I hope to see you
again Daturna," he said and turned to walk out toward where the feast
would begin shortly.

Last updated on the July 22nd 2019

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She's Yours