[PRP] The Right Words [Nyaranau/E'dan of Blue Galxath]

[Sweet Symmetry]

The young woman sucked in a deep breath, her mind blank. There were only a few words on the scrap of hide, scribbled in her mother’s delicate- if somewhat illegible hand. E’dan of Blue Galxath. All these Turns. Her mother had not forgotten, and curiosity had gotten the better of her…

And now this. These words that could never mean anything to Nyara, but did. A life- a whole life she couldn’t possibly conceive… in the space of four words. Her father.

She hmmed a little to herself, the vocalisation providing some sense of reality whilst her mind continued to churn through the numbing abyss of what-could-be’s and if-only’s. She started to pace, three steps to the left before swinging wildly about-face and tapping her foot. Here he was. This was E’dan’s weyr.

She should do it. It was better to know than to be left endlessly wondering, endlessly speculating.. Tormented by her own thoughts and cast adrift on a merciless sea of uncertainty. Yes. She would do it.

Arghhh. Three more steps to the right, and she very gently kicked the stone wall opposite the man’s door. Damn him. Flame him and his dragon. Wait, no. That was a Bad Thing. No, Faranth keep them alive… but force them to wear boots filled with fish-heads or something. Put spinners in their bedsheets, or trundlebugs in their klah.

Come on, Nyara. Don’t torture yourself. You just have to knock. That’s all. If it doesn’t work out, walk away. And your father truly will remain unknown to you.

Another deep breath, and she moved back towards the door. She put the slip of paper back in her pocket, cleared her throat, and knocked.

ShinosBee

 

[ShinosBee]

E'dan had been plucking the strings of his guitar, sprawled backwards over the edge of his couch, foot tapping in the air over his head when the knock came. His blue, which had been curled half on the ledge, half in the main room with his head just next to the same piece of furniture, looked up before the man even ceased his strumming, with eyes stark yellow with worry. Someone's here, knocking, E'dan...! The blue whined as if he'd been caught out slacking on drills, and not just relaxing on a rest day with his rider.

"I hear that, baby blue, don't worry. I'm sure it's nothing important, or some dragon'd have thought to you to talk to me." He finished plucking his way through a phrase or two before swinging his long legs around, rolling to sit up before rippling to his feet in a smooth motion. One hand dropped from the guitar to drag along the blue's muzzle, tickling along an eye ridge as he headed for the door, setting aside the instrument on a table as he reached for the knob.

As the door swung wide he looked around for whom'd...aha. A girl? He blinked down at her, tall form almost enough to fill the doorway, though far too lean to be intimidating. "Hey, uh...you needed something?" His eyes flicked to the shoulder knots—a candidate? There was something vaguely familiar about the girl, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. From behind he could hear Galxath shifting, probably trying to hide behind the couch and peek around at the same time. Is it someone angry with us? With me?

A crooked but gentle smile cocked the left side of his mouth up, a fondness in his eyes as he brushed a reassuring mental touch against the worrisome blue. "It's all good, baby, just a little candidate come to...what?" He'd called over his shoulder, then turned back to consider the girl again. "Were you, uhh...assigned chores to help a rider out? I definitely forgot, if it's my turn with that, but I'm sure Galxath wouldn't mind...?"

Sweet Symmetry

 

[Sweet Symmetry]

ShinosBee

Lol your pair. <3 So lovable homg. cuddles Galxath I'll take the mean lady away soon.

There was no immediate answer. Anger surged a little, because she was so sure she’d heard music from behind that door… Damn him all to Between, the monstrous coward! Trying the door handle, she found it unlocked and pushed the door open, stepping into the frame.

And there he was.

He was… well, he was.

That was true.

She found herself gawking a little, unable to help herself. Then her attention shifted to the blue dragon, whose wedge-head was very nearly on the bed with the rider himself. “Ah…” She began, almost tempted to apologise, but then he spoke.

She frowned at him, squaring her shoulders slightly. “No. Not that. Not that at all.” The moments stretched by in silence. Sharding Faranth damn all riders. And damn Thread. Damn Pern too, whilst you’re at it.

“No. No, I’m Nyaranau. About twenty Turns ago, you met my mother, Rakara. I’m told it was a short-lived but passionate sort of thing.” She paused here, not concealing the scrutinising look she shot him. “But you can’t get rid of a kid, and well… here I am.” Hands on her hips, a slight jut of her chin, and a gleam of fierceness in her eyes: it was all an attempt to help mask her fear.

“Hi. I’m your daughter.”  

[ShinosBee]

She'd nearly walked right into him as he'd gone for the door, and things had just gotten more awkward since. Galxath had let slip an utterly pitiful creel, doing his utmost to hide his bulk behind the furniture at the angry, waspish tone he perceived in the candidate's voice. E'dan, for his part, let her say her piece, growing more and more bewildered by the moment. Her name, okay. Twenty turns? He could barely remember that long ago—what?! The bubble of confusion from his ride, popping swiftly into disbelieving numbness made the blue cry out again. This time though the dragon did not try to hide. He slid forward, nearly belly-crawling to press up behind his rider, to bunch as close and comforting as he could.

"My daughter....?" There was clear disbelief in the man's tone, and his brown eyes had gone almost comically wide at the revelation. He had a...no, no he couldn't! Could he? The name, that name, 'Rakara'...he'd know someone by that name, once, he'd...

"Oops."

It came out almost a laugh, the man's brows scrunching and mouth fluttering p into a weak smile for just a second. He wanted to laugh. He wanted to cry. He'd had a daughter, for, what, almost two decades, and never known?! Sure, most riders didn't get too involved with their children's lives, but...really, just to know. And now the almost angry, determined, dare-you-to-not-notice-me look on the girl (shards he should have focused more on her name but how could he after that revelation??) made more sense. She was his...

"Oh Faranth, I bet Rakara was so upset at me for that," His hands had risen at some point to palm at his face, mind awhirl. He really, really probably should have been there. "She uh, she didn't tell me, and then we weren't together, and..." The blue crooned again, and thankfully that at least helped snap him out of it. "Shh, shh, no, it's alright baby blue. It's uhhhhhhaaaa good thing? I think?" Forced to focus briefly on comforting the timid dragon helped the man recenter. He'd coaxed Galxath through many, many moments of turmoil before, after all. This time it was just one of his own making.

He turned back to the girl—young woman, really—after a moment. Waved her inside. "I guess we're gonna have a lot to catch up on then. Thiiiis is Galxath," He patted the blue, who turned wary pale yellow eyes at the intimidating lady. "And uh, she probably told you, I'm E'dan. Your...dad?" That would take some getting used to.

Sweet Symmetry

 

[Sweet Symmetry]

Oops. He had been just about to open the door- and then this, and that, and oh shards. He was real and a person and she’d almost hurt him. The whole thing might devolve into an unmitigated disaster. Some of her anger faded- especially as his dragon seemed almost as upset as she felt. Sure, she couldn’t creel- but she did want to disappear into a giant chasm and cry until she was nothing more than a pile of dehydrated bones.


And he seemed shocked- it cried innocence to her. He hadn’t known for the span of her life… her mother had told her she’d made the choice alone, to continue living her life… but Nyaranau had assumed the man had at least been told. Hadn’t he deserved to know? Anger and outrage fell away, leaving disappointment, and a touch of fear in their place. Maybe she was the irresponsible one, for barging in like this, interrupting his life, bothering him and his dragon…

“She didn’t tell you… ah…” Nyaranau sighed, shoulders slumping somewhat. “I thought you just didn’t care…” It was the kind of thing that would break a child’s heart- but it hadn’t even crossed her mind as a child. Her mother had only recently dropped the names on her like some sort of twisted early Turnday gift, or some such… well, it was sharding early. And no returns possible now, she supposed. “I don’t really remember her being angry… she’s always just been so… headstrong and stubborn. Independent and proud.” Would it be strange to tack on ’you know what she’s like’. Which version of Rakara did E’dan remember, if he remembered her at all?

She crossed the threshold of his weyr properly, a nervous look flittering across her face as she considered the dragon attempting to hide behind the furniture. As E’dan introduced himself and the creature, she bowed her head. “Sorry for, er, ah… dropping in. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, Galxath.” But a small smile took over, wavering in the face of her disappointment. “It is nice to meet you though. You’re very handsome.” And, glancing at her… well… father, her smile grew a little cheekier. “I didn’t know what to expect- but I wouldn’t have imagined my dad looking like you. You look too cool.” At least her sense of humour wasn’t numbed by slow and painful decades-long-in-the-making realisations.

ShinosBee