Just As Exciting

Writers: Dana, Eimi
Date Posted: 30th April 2006

Characters: Larken, Ojisan
Description: Ojisan and Larken discuss something that has always been a bit hesitant between them
Location: Harper Hall
Date: month 11, day 16 of Turn 3

Ojisan leaned back into the blanket with a soft smile on his face as he
looked out towards the bronzerider carrying his young infant son out into
the lapping water. When the edge of a small wave would come he dipped his
child's feet into the water. The giggles carried on the wind back to
where the harper lay stretched out alongside his young wife. "Look over
there, Larken," he said pointing towards the pair of them delighting in
the discovery of something new together.

She opened her eyes and slowly propped herself up on one forearm, looking
out to where her husband was pointing to. Seeing the father and his son
in the water, she smiled. "Look at his face," Larken murmured, meaning
the little boy. "I don't think I've ever seen a child so excited."

"At that age everything is a first," Ojisan murmured thoughtfully. "Every
feeling, every object, every sight is something new and exciting.
Everything that we take for granted as adults, we once had to learn
about it much the same way." He sighed. Was it truly more twenty turns
since he had explored the world through a child's eyes? That sounded so
long ago...

"Mmm... I remember when I was just little girl, I would listen to Papa
strumming quiet songs on one of his gitars when I was supposed to be in
bed." Larken smiled, leaning back down onto the soft blanket. "And I
remember I was utterly _fascinated_. How could such beauty come from
strings tied to a piece of wood?"

"Yes, I think children love music even more than adults do," Ojisan
nodded. "I used to play to Terrisan every night before he got 'too old'
for it."

She turned her head to look at him. "Did your papa play music for you
every night before you got 'too old' for it?"

"No, my mother would sing to me," her husband smiled. "My father was a
good man, but he didn't always think of the little fatherly things."

At that, Larken reached out and gently touched her fingertips to his hand.

He turned to face her. "You would make a wonderful mother I think,
Larken. I can't wait to see it." Ojisan traced a finger along her cheek.
"I don't know if I want to wait to see it anymore."

Closing her eyes, she leaned slightly into his touch. "We have waited a
long time..." And they had. But that was mostly because of her. Ojisan
had been lovingly considerate of how young she really was when they'd wed.
But both of them were coming to realize, in their own ways, that she
wasn't so young anymore.

He took her hand in his. It was still so soft and smooth, delicate even.
And his were big, calloused, and so much older than hers. They could
raise a child with hands like that - soft and gentle, warm and protecting.
"We seem to be settling in here. Perhaps its time we talk about starting
a family of our own."

Larken looked to their hands. "It will be different, raising a child
here..." she murmured softly.

Ojisan's thumb gently caressed hers. "Well, perhaps we can start here,
and in a couple turns I can ask for a transfer. Maybe to the Main Hall,
and actually do some work towards my Masters knots."

"By different, I didn't mean it as...a bad thing." She finally lifted her
blue eyes to his, trying to conceal the sudden worry she felt. "Just
different." To move...again?

"Well, you know the Harper Hall won't be here at the Weyr forever.
Perhaps we will really like our new Hold when we find it, and decide it's
the perfect place for our family," he smiled reassuringly.

"Of course," she murmured, looking down to their hands again. Her fingers
moved then, slowly caressing up the lengths of his then down again,
tracing the rough calluses, the lines of his palms. "Do you wish for a
daughter?" she finally asked.

"I wish for either, as long as it is healthy and it is ours." He caught
her hand and brought it up to his lips and kissed it softly.

Smiling, Larken looked up at him again. "I'd like to have a daughter."

"Well, then, let's try for a daughter," he said, his blue eyes sparkling
as he caught her her gaze. "And if we don't get one the first time, I'm
perfectly willing to try again."

She held his eyes for a moment longer before she looked down, blushing.

He gently lifted her chin until their eyes could meet again. "What is
going on inside your head, Larken? Do you think its time we start a
family of our own? Or do you want to wait a while longer. Truly, now..."

Larken caught herself before she could bite her lip. She knew how much he
wanted children. And they had waited for Turns... He'd been so patient.
Not every woman was lucky to have a husband who was so patient, who put
her needs above his wants. But she wasn't sure if _she_ was as ready as
her husband. But would she ever really know when she would ready or not?
"I don't see why we can't start..."

"Excellent," Ojisan grinned. The idea of being a father again pleased him
to no end, and yet, even more than that, he was looking forward to sharing
the experience with Larken. "Oh love, I know we will make _wonderful_
parents."

"You already have experience, Ojisan," his wife smiled, watching how his
face lit up. "And I think Terrisan turned out all right," she teased with
a laugh.

"Yes, I have already raised a child," her husband said thoughtfully. "But
I haven't yet shared the experience with you. And I think that is _just_
as exciting."

"Mmm..." She leaned over and brushed her lips over his cheek, trying to
convince herself that she _was_ ready to take this big step - that she was
ready for this change. But it was worth it, she thought, just to see how
happy she made him.

He caught her lips in a tender, and uncharacteristicly public kiss. "Why
don't we go back to our rooms now?" he whispered softly.

Blushing, she gazed up at him, linking her fingers with his. "Do we have
wine? Or is that all gone now?"

"I might have a bottle or two that I had tucked away for a special
occasion." And this certainly seemed to warrant opening one of them.
Finally, start a family of their own...

"And would you consider this a special occasion?" Her quiet tone teased him.

Ojisan smiled as he sat up from the blanket and reached for her hand.
"Most definitely, my dear."

Last updated on the May 3rd 2006

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