Learning and Growing

Writers: Devin, Suzee
Date Posted: 4th February 2021

Characters: Talryne, Briata
Description: Talryne and Briata have a conversation about crafting, children, and other things.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 8, day 4 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: Urlene, N'vanik, Y'gel

Talryne

Briata

It was late in the day and quiet in the weavers' workroom. Talryne
looked up when she heard someone enter. "Oh, hi Briata."

"Hi Talryne," Briata smiled up from her knitting. She reached over to
rock the cradle next to her for a moment. "How are you doing today?"

"I'm doing well." It was the truth. The last few days Talryne had been
able to focus and had even completed one of her class assignments.
Late, as was the case most of the time, but the journeyman was very
understanding.

Briata smiled. "We're doing pretty well too. Have you met Master
Urlene's little guy yet?"

"Um, no." Talryne generally avoided children. She'd gotten somewhat
used to Nisheyl being around from time to time, but that was for
N'vanik's sake.

"He's a good babe most of the time." She said. "Master Urlene has been
living with us so sometimes I just bring him with me. He won't be a
bother."

"It's fine. At least I know he won't be grabbing at my things."
Talryne gave her a small smile. "So are you okay with the..." She
waved a hand toward the cradle. "With the whole situation?"

Briata put her hands down into her lap, "It's complicated," she half
smiled. "Y'gel is complicated. You know he's only loved two women in
his life? Liranet and me. But now there's Urlene. How can I possibly
deny him?"

"I just thought..." Talryne struggled to find a nice way to say it.
"You seem very holdbred in your ideas. It's... surprising, that's
all." She'd expected Briata to throw a fit and send Y'gel packing when
she found out.

"I was," she said softly. But the corner of her mouth lifted in not
quite a smile. "But things change. People grow. Some things don't
really apply to the Weyr for obvious reasons. While I could not bring
myself to even attend a hatching for fear of Impression, now I hear
the newest weyrlings with their joy in their new lifemates and I
wonder. That is a fairly major change. Don't you think?"

Talryne nodded. Though of course Briata was too old for Impression
now, which might be why she felt safe to attend a Hatching. "I haven't
been able to go. To a Hatching." It was hard living at a Weyr with
constant reminders of what she'd lost, but in a way it had also helped
to numb her a bit.

"I know," Briata put her hand on Talryne's knee for a moment. "We
don't have to talk about that anymore. What are you working on today,"
she asked just to change the subject.

"It's a dress. I know I'm making a mess of it but..." Talryne
shrugged. "I need to show _something_ for tailoring if I ever want to
advance." Or even just to feel like she wasn't wasting the
journeyman's time.

"Having any problems? Insetting the sleeves always gets me. I end up
with tucks where there shouldn't be tucks." She shook her head.

Talryne looked down at the dress on her worktable. It was... well it
was definitely apprentice level. "I think I'm having trouble with
everything but the stitching," she said with a sigh. She'd been
promoted to Senior Apprentice based on the strength of her knitting,
tapestry skills, and dyeing. But that wouldn't get her through to
journeyman.

"I find the way to get the pieces to fit together is to make sure you
transfer all the marks from the pattern and use lots of pins."

Talryne nodded, her gaze still fixed on the dress. "I wonder if it
would be more or less work to start over."

"What if you just picked out the curves?" Briata looked at the dress
critically. "The straight seams look fine. It's the curves that are a
bit unmatched."

Talryne's eyes traced the curves of the dress and she frowned
thoughtfully. "Hmm, that could work." She pictured what she would need
to shift to make everything fit better.

"And use lots of pins. I can loan you some if you like." Briata
reached into the bag at her feet and pulled out a small wooden box
with a cushion on top into which were suck dozens of straight pins.

Talryne made a small amused noise. "Thank you. I have enough." She
slid a pin cushion from where it had been buried by fabric scraps.
"And there's plenty more around here if I need them. I'm not allowed
to work on this in N'vanik's weyr after the Bare Foot Incident."
Really it was best for _both_ of them not to have fallen pins lurking
around. The knitting needles were bad enough.

Briata couldn't help the laugh that escaped and she darted a look at
the sleeping baby. "I believe we had a similar incident. You'd think
a bronzerider had been stabbed with a knife from the way he squealed
and hopped around."

Talryne bit her lip. "I'm surprised he hasn't banned knitting needles
despite them ending up in far worse places."

Briata smiled. "I do try to keep them poked into their yarn balls when
in use or in a case when they aren't."

"You're so organized," Talryne said with a sigh. "I always feel like
I'm a mess."

"Blame my upbringing," she grinned. "I've gotten past most of the
baggage of a Lady of the Blood but some things are just not that easy
to dismiss. I find I like my area clean and organized." She shrugged
with a rueful smile.

"I wish I could be organized. Every time I manage to clean up, it
never lasts long." Talryne shook her head. She'd always been a bit lax
in her tidying and it had only gotten worse since... the accident.

"Yes," Briata said softly into the silence. "It is an ongoing battle.
Especially with little ones running around," she added when the infant
stirred in his cradle and her foot began to work the rocker again.
"But that's why we have help, right?"

Talryne nodded. "N'vanik... he arranged for a drudge to come clean my
weyr once a sevenday." She felt guilty about getting special
treatment, or needing the help at all, but it was _such_ a relief.

"That's great," Briata grinned. "I knew I liked him," she nodded with
a twinkle.

"He likes you too," Talryne said with a little smile. "He's glad to
have you raising his daughter." Talryne paused as a thought occurred
to her. "Are you going to foster him too?" She nodded toward the
cradle. "Urlene's son?"

"She's a sweetie," Briata smiled. "Well," she looked down at the
cradle. "Not quite sure how to explain it. Have you ever just met
someone and somehow you feel closer to them the more you know them?
Urlene and I had some of the same experiences in the Hold. So I think
we kind of naturally understand each other. Both she and Lorgellen
need us, need to be part of our family. So, I think, yes. For as long
as she stays with us."

"I'm happy for all of you, then. It seems like a good arrangement, and
I'm sure N'vanik would be happy for Nisheyl to have another foster
brother."

"And another mother," Briata added. "She was restless the other night
and didn't want to go down but when Urlene got home Nisha climbed up
into her lap and promptly fell asleep." She nodded. "I think it's good
for all of us."

Talryne still missed her mother and she was glad Nisheyl and the other
children had Briata to be their mother. And apparently now Urlene as
well. "N'vanik's been spending time with her. Urlene, I mean. She
sounds very interesting and I think I might like to meet her
sometime." She'd seen the Weyrhealer around, but they hadn't actually
spoken.

"I think you'd like her Tal," she said. "She's had a bit of a hard
life, so I'm so glad for her that she's finally gotten her dream of
Master Healer and found some joy in her life. She deserves it after
everything." She looked down as Lorgellen stirred again. "I think
this guy needs to go home," she smiled. "His momma will be wanting to
feed him soon. See you tomorrow?"

Talryne nodded. "See you tomorrow."

Last updated on the February 19th 2021

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