Empty Rooms (Tags: Open)

[yankeegeek]

Jarev repeated Sandra's name to himself a few times, committing it to memory. He tilted his head, listening to the Weyrwoman's speech. He might've seen her before, while at Benden, but if so, the memory eluded him. Candidates there rarely saw the high-ranking people, bronze or gold riders didn't waste much time on them outside of an egg-touching or Hatching.

He was slightly taken aback by her statement that she'd be assuming the Candidate Master's duties as well as being the Weyrwoman. That sounded like too much for one person, over the long term. "Glutton for extra duty," he murmured under his breath. Of course, that was fairly obvious, he realized a second afterward. If she'd wanted to laze about, with no serious work, she could have stayed at Benden as--how many queens did they have? He wasn't sure.
His voice was a trifle louder when he next spoke up, glancing at the other Candidates. "I was from the Smithcraft Hall in Benden...where's everyone else from?"

[Lucius]

During the excitement, S'las had fallen into his usual "watch and shut up" routine, only nodding and listening. He had not expected to be asked a question by the candidate Shmee, and the question made him jump a bit. The man wrung his hands, felt for Tugenth's mind, and once comforted by the bronze's peace, was finally able to speak.

"No, I don't," he said, "but I have a little niece back at Benden. I told her I'd send her some shells from the Southern Continent, might even make her a necklace. It made her happy."

He sighed, suddenly longing to be back at Benden with Judia, his half-sister, and her cute little Forya. The girl, no older than four, always loved to sling her arms around him--he was her Uncle Lassie, because she couldn't properly pronounce S'las when she was younger. Ah, he missed her. He missed them all, really. His family was all in Benden.

"I... There was a woman who I thought might... Ehrm, well, you know, but... She..." He shook his head. "It didn't work out. We just weren't right for each other, I suppose. Which was all right. She was an Ista greenrider, not my type I guess. And I wasn't ready to leave." There was a lot more to it, really, but he decided that getting into it wasn't worth it. "So, the father... Does he hang around much, or did he just up and leave you? Or am I... Being too forward?" S'las himself had been fortunate to have a father who cared, though he knew many children whose fathers could care less. It was sad, really...

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

Shmee smiled weakly. At least this man seemed to like his niece. It must be different having a child than a niece, she thought. It certainly made sense that way. Maybe K'dei had had nieces and nephews that he paid attention to, but didn't want the responsibility of an actual child. She wouldn't be at all surprised if S'las was the same way. Then again, K'dei had never spoken of his kin in the turn that Shmee had lived with him, which was must different from this man, who admitted readily that he did send things to his niece. So maybe they were different. Still, Shmee was still very wary about him, so standing on her guard would be the better idea, she thought.

What was different was how S'las told her about a woman. People like K'dei never even mentioned their old bedmates. She nodded slowly. "So, would you have stayed with her otherwise?" she asked, trying to figure him out. His talking about the niece had piqued her curiosity. Maybe he was worth investigating. Nothing beyond that, of course, but maybe he could be proof that not all bronzeriders were disgusting. As soon as this thought crossed her head, she dismissed it. She shouldn't get her hopes up. She had gotten her hopes up about K'dei, hadn't she? Shei mumbled something incomprehensible to herself as she played with her toys, and Shmee looked down in amusement. The little thing hadn't started talking yet, but she had lots of conversations with herself in her own little language. It was pretty cute.

His next question caught Shmee off guard. She frowned. "He... left the moment he found out I was pregnant," she told him shortly. It made Shmee bitter even to this day. She had been in love with K'dei, and was so excited to be carrying his child. Then it turned out that he was disgusted with the idea of Shmee wanting to keep the baby, and immediately left her. She scowled. She could never understand how someone could be that way toward their own child.

[Lucius]

He at first thought the staying question was about Forya, and thus replied first with a bit on Forya. "I would have loved to stay with Forya. She's my sister's daughter, and I love her as if she were my own. Granted, her father is around a lot, as he's bound to Jude, but--" then, he realized that wasn't the question. "Sorry, you want to hear about... Ehr, yes.."

Ah, so here was someone in a similar situation, although S'las wasn't pregnant when Rilyahra decided he wasn't good enough. S'las, when he was younger, had been interested in asking her to come to Benden, to let her stay with him, to start a family together. That was what he had wanted. As it turned out, all during their fling, Rilyahra had been sharing as many beds as she could, using her green to attend other weyrs, and riding dragon-back to prevent pregnancy. She wasn't interested in him as a person, just him as a power-source. He felt so stupid after that, and wondered how many other men--or hell, even women--she had led on.

Heh, must have been just like one of his friends in childhood, only female...

"I asked her if she'd like to come to Benden," he said. "She... She often told me she liked Benden, how different it was from Ista. She said she could live here. I asked her if she'd care to stay here, with me." He shook his head. He didn't like to think about it. "She... When I told her that I loved her... And I wanted... She said that she wasn't interested in a serious relationship, not to be stupid, wasn't this enough for me?" While he kept an even tone, a small coal of rage burned in his stomach. "Then I found out that I was just a pawn in her game. Just a key to power and self-satisfaction. The other bronzeriders, most of them older... They knew about her. And Judia tried to tell me, but I... I ignored her." He sighed. "Not my finest hour, I'll give you that."

A scowl crossed his face as he heard about the leaving when she was pregnant. That was just wrong, disgusting, inappropriate. Dragonmen did not have to stay loyal to the women they courted, that much was proven, but they had an obligation to their children. That much his father had pounded into his head, saying that if S'las ever knowingly fathered a child, he'd better take care of it. And, of course, S'las had been prepared to start a family with Rilya. He had wanted children, someone like Forya to call him Father instead of Uncle. "That's not right, not by any means." The scowl deepened. "But I'm sure you already know that, so I suppose you don't need me saying it. Still..." The scowl disappeared. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. We don't have a proper Weyrleader at the moment, but that doesn't stop me from having an obligation to everyone here."