It's Not What it Looks Like

Writers: Heather, Miriah
Date Posted: 6th December 2020
Series: The Hallmaster's Ladies

Characters: Thayde, Enamra, Quinla
Description: Enamra catches Thayde sneaking back into their quarters and assumes the worst
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 8, day 11 of Turn 9
Notes: Mentioned: Jalodwyn

Thayde

Enamra

It had worked. He had seen Jalotha and no one was the wiser. The fact
that it worked led Thayde to try it again, and fortunately, he'd had
the same successful results. Quinla had met him in an empty classroom
with Jalotha and he'd managed to have a few minutes with her before
she was returned.

Tonight they were going to try something a little more daring, since
Quinla had other duties with some of the other creche children as
well. She was going to leave Jalotha with him for a bit while she
tended to some things, giving them a bit more time together. Since
Jalodwyn was going to be out on Fleet Duty, there was no worry for her
showing up to find Jalotha missing.

"You love spending time with your dad, don't you?" Thayde cooed to
Jalotha as he swung her about lightly, as if they were dancing a
little waltz together around the room. Her smile assured him that she
did.

When she began to tire, Thayde held her close to his chest and took a
seat in one of the chairs. "Let me tell you about the stars..." he
began, murmuring softy to her until he nodded off to sleep himself.

Quinla rushed into the classroom as Rukbat began to peek over the
horizon, looking bedraggled, distraught and anxious. She'd fallen
asleep in the creche and by the time she'd woken, it was far past the
time to fetch Jalotha. She panicked when she'd not seen Jalotha in her
cradle; she'd hoped that perhaps the Hallmaster had brought her back,
before rushing to the classroom shed left them in.

When she arrived, she was brought up short. The Hallmaster was
asleep in a chair, Jalotha propped up in his arms, but beginning to
stir. No doubt she'd need to be fed and changed. Quinla rushed over.
"Master Thayde! Master Thayde! It's morning! I have to take her back
right now!"

Thayde jerked awake, his arms seizing around Jalotha protectively.
"Morning?" He said in confusion as he looked out the window. **Oh
feck, Enamra!** She would be waking soon and if he wasn't there....

He jumped to his feet and handed Jalotha over to Quinla. "I am sorry,
I must have fallen asleep. Get Jalotha back. Quickly."

Slipping out of the classroom, Thayde hurried back to his quarters,
passing the random drudge here and there that was up early to begin
their morning chores.

Pushing open the door slowly, Thayde slipped inside, hoping
desperately he would be able to slide into bed beside Enamra without
her noticing.

Enamra was already awake, sitting at the kitchen table. Her eyes were
red and swollen, hair untidied and still clad in her nightgown. As the
door opened, she looked up and seemed both relax for a moment, then
tense as Thayde tried to sneak quietly into their home. So, there
_had_ been a real reason for him to want her to go to the Weyr! She
rose to face him, unexpected anger simmering right under the surface.
"I knew it..."

**Dammit!** Thayde shoved his hand through his hair in irritation.
This was exactly what he had been trying to avoid.

"Enamra," he said, holding his hands up, "it's not what you think, I swear."

"It's not? So you haven't been gone for _three candlemarks_? At least
I knew better than to follow you this time." Her eyes filled with
moisture, but to her credit, she didn't burst into tears. "So should I
expect another baby in nine months, since I haven't been able to give
you that?"

"Will you ever quit throwing that in my face?" He demanded. "I know I
screwed up, I told you it would never happen again, I have spent
months proving myself to you. I wasn't with Jalodwyn, alright? She's
not even here, she's on Fleet Duty. I was holding Jalotha and fell
asleep."

Enamra folded her arms over her chest, feeling her own anger grow.
It was so very rare that she really felt that mad about anything, but
laying in bed, tossing and turning for three candlemarks waiting for
him, had frayed her nerves bare. "You were sneaking out of bed to
hold a baby? In the middle of the night? If that's so, then since
when have you been spending time with her? How long has this been
happening and you've been hiding it from me?"

"This is the third time I've held her," he said. "I have to do it at
night because if Jalodwyn knew she would leave and take Jalotha. This
is the only way I can see my daughter, Enamra."

For some reason, his reasoning angered her even more. She stared at
him, cheeks beginning to flush with very real temper. "So you thought
that it's better to lie and sneak around me _and_ her? Don't you think
that that's a horrible way to do things? You didn't even want to be
involved with her before she came back! You told me that you didn't
want to!" She threw up her hands. "So instead of just telling me
that's what you were going to do, you lied and hid it! How am I
supposed to trust you after this?" Enamra wiped at her eyes. " This
is my first day as an apprentice. No wonder you wanted me to go to
the Weyr. Well, I'm going to go get dressed, so you can make your own
breakfast!" She turned and stomped to their bedroom, slamming the
door behind her and locking it.

Thayde should have taken a breath and collected himself... but he
didn't. Instead he strode over to their bedroom door and spoke angrily
through it, knowing she could hear. "You've been prickly ever since
you found out Jalodwyn was coming back. I didn't tell you because I
knew you would act childish. Case," he knocked on the door, "and
point!"

"You brought her back!"She yelled through the door as she yanked on
her day dress. "And you're the one who started lying and hiding
things! Not me!" She grabbed her brush and started yanking it through
her long hair, tugging at the strands before quickly braiding it.
"It's wrong and you know it! If you didn't know it, you wouldn't have
tried to hide it!" She pulled on her slippers and threw open the
bedroom door, slipping by him before he could catch her.

"I haven't lied to you about anything!" Thayde said, following her. "I
tried to shelter you because I knew you were having a hard time
already with the whole situation. I know that me holding a baby that's
not yours when ours died would be hard for you- so I didn't want you
to know. It's not because I had some nefarious plans!"

"You lied when you snuck out, Thayde! I don't need to be sheltered!
Just because you think I'm childish doesn't mean I can't handle
things! I've handled a lot of hard things that I didn't like, but at
least I knew about them! I may be a _child_ but I've never ever kept
things from you! I tell you even if it bothers me!" She fumed and
stared up at him, eyes snapping. "You're...you're...a jerk! And I
really don't want to talk to you right now. And you smell like baby
pee." She pointed to his tunic, where a damp spot was. "I'm going to
my classes!"

"Well have a good first day!" He snapped back, even as he yanked his
shirt over his head and tossed it in the dirty clothes basket.

"Go take a bath!" She spun on her heels and with jarring footsteps
left their quarters, chin up as she silently fumed. She _would_ have a
good first day, even if she was so angry at her husband she could
spit.

Last updated on the December 7th 2020

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It's Not What it Looks Like