Can I have a bubbly?

Writers: Eimi, Suzee
Date Posted: 18th July 2011
Series: It takes Time to Love

Characters: Tavia, U'kaiah, Kaiafel
Description: A picnic and an announcement
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 3, day 7 of Turn 6

Tavia

Tavia spent her morning getting ready for her visitors. She'd done
some special baking and assembled a picnic. Glory was scolding her
from the top of the curtain rail and she turned to grin at the little
flit. "Not every bit of food around belongs to you silly. No matter
your color."

She hummed and finally she finally floated down to land and wrap her
tail around Tavia's neck. At that point Tavia did give her a small
morsel. Glory crooned her pleasure and Tavia giggled. "See you get
more of what you want with good manners that by trying to order me
around." She got a chirp of agreement from the little queen.

}:Kalamath comes:{ said Sawauth shaking herself and directing her gaze
out of her weyr.

The bronze trumpeted his greeting to the green as he began his decent to
her ledge.

**Show off,** U'kaiah snorted, fondly amused.

}:But of course! She's beautiful.:{ Kalamath backwinged gracefully
onto the stone next to her, turning his head to brush his snout against
her neck in greeting.

"I think Kalamath likes her," Kaiafel giggled before sliding expertly
down from his neck ridges.

"What makes you such an expert on dragon relations?" U'kaiah grinned as
he slid right down beside.

His son rolled his eyes with a long, tolerant sigh. "Da, I'm not a
little kid any more. I know things."

"Ah, yes, I'm sorry, I forgot," his father said as he put a hand on the
boy's shoulder and steered him towards the entrance. "Tavia?"

"Hello there," she said "Good to see you again Kaiafel." She smiled
and went to greet the tall bronzerider with a kiss. Glory even added a
welcoming chirp and jumped to his shoulder rubbing her head against
his jaw. The little barometer of her person's feelings had been
nothing but pleasant around U'kaiah since her unfortunate mistake. Her
eyes whirled blue/green as she peered down at the much shorter person.

She turned and pointed to the table."Who wants to grab the basket?"

Kaiafel's eyes were pulled towards the flit on his father's shoulder.
"Hey! That's a gold! Where'd that come from?"

"I guess I'll take the basket," U'kaiah said with a sigh very like the
one his son had given him just moments earlier. He knew now that the
boy had caught sight of Glory his attention was no longer on food.

A burble of laughter rose up inside Tavia as she couldn't resist. "An
egg, just like all flits." Just then Glory lifted off U'kaiah's
shoulder and went to greet the giant bronze Kalamath with chitters and
flirts of her golden wings before settling again, this time on
Sawauth. "Her name is Glory, maybe you can feed her a little bit
later. Huh?"

Kaiafel studied the gold for a moment before commenting in a small
voice, in case Glory might hear and feel offended, "I think you need to
feed her more. She's kind of small, you know."

"She's a baby, son," U'kaiah said as he picked up the picnic basket.
"She'll grow, believe me. As babies do." He gave Tavia a
conspiratorial smile, knowing that babies was exactly what they had
brought Kaiafel here to talk about.

Her eyes crinkled at the corners as she looked back at U'kaiah. Well
he certainly could direct a conversation when he wanted. She'd have to
file that away for future reference. She didn't have those skills at
all but then she wasn't a Wingleader and maybe someday a Weyrleader.

**Kalamath chose well I think.** }:Mine thinks you chose very well:{
Sawauth sent to the handsome bronze as she twined her tale with his.
"So, where are we going," asked Tavia.

"Well, we can't go very far, can we," U'kaiah shrugged, reaching for her
hand. "Why don't we fly straight towards the Dolphin Hall and see if
the pods around to swim with."

"I want to look for flit eggs," Kaiafel reminded him, pulling on the
hand holding the basket.

"You don't want to swim with dolphins?" the bronzerider asked, his
eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, but..." Kaiafel cast a forelorn look towards the pretty shiny
gold. "I want to find a flit egg."

"We'll do both. Go strap this on Kalamath," U'kaiah said, handing him
the basket. He watched him walk out towards the ledge with the basket
in hand before saying to the greenrider softly, "So let's tell him when
we get down there. What do you think?"

She watched Kaiafel as he carried the basket toward Kalamath. "Yes,"
she said and reached out to squeeze his hand. "Maybe that will
distract him a little." She followed the boy over to the bronze and
leaned against the big bronze head to reach his eye ridge. She gave
him a good scratch and a loving pat. Her thanks was in her touch.

The bronzerider watched her with an admiring smile. He liked that she
seemed to pay so much attention to those who were important in his life.
Leaning back against Kalamath's neck, he leaned down to whisper, "He
approves of you, you know."

She smiled and put her hand on his arm. "I'm very glad to hear that,"
she said. "I'd better get mounted up." She pointed at Kaiafel and
grinned.

The boy was already perched between the neckrdiges, strapped in and
waiting with infinite patience for the adults to realize that there
firelizards and dolphins to be met that day! "Right." U'kaiah swung up
in front, and once settled, gave her a nod to lead the way.

~~~<0>~~~
She slid down Sawauth's flank and into the soft sand of the beach. The
green headed almost immediately for the water to play with the
dolphins. A blanket was draped over her arm and she found a nice spot
back from the water to put it down.

"Bring the basket over here," U'kaiah directed Kaiafel as he helped her
to spread out the blanket. "We're going to eat first," he said,
noticing his son's longing look out towards the water where the green
and bronze now played.

"I'm not hungry yet," the boy protested with a pout, but he put the
basket down and knelt down to start unload it.

"You will be as soon as you see all the good good Tavia made for us,"
U'kaiah assured him, knowing just how hard she had worked to make their
meal that day.

Tavia opened the basket and the aroma of fresh bread warm from the
oven wafted out of the basket. There were also savory meat pies with a
few bubblies thrown in. She'd brought a big dish of fruit and another
of tuber salad just like her mother used to make. She set out the
plates and utensils she'd borrowed from the kitchen and pulled out a
jug of tea.

"Doesn't this look good?" U'kaiah grinned, breathing in the smells as he
started spooning tuber salad onto his plate. It was one of his
favorites.

Kaiafel was already ogling desert. "Can I have a bubbly?"

"That's up to your dad," Tavia said looking at U'kaiah. She wasn't
going to jump into a question that was more appropriate to his dad.
She dished some fruit slices onto his plate and popped a meat pie on
each. Then she reached for the tuber salad when U'kaiah was done
helping himself. She leaned over and whispered conspiratorially,
"There's two there just for you." She smiled.

The bronzerider smiled, his eyes twinkling in anticipation. He shared
his son's love for the flavorful pies. "After we eat some real food we
can have bubblies." He poured them each a glass of juice before turning
to his son. "Son, there's something Tavia and I want to talk to you
about. It's something important." U'kaiah looked to the greenrider for
support, suddenly a little nervous.

She nodded encouragement and stroked his arm. Truthfully though she
was a little nervous herself. For some reason she wanted the boy to be
happy about the new addition to his family.

"Well, son, you see..." U'kaiah reached down a hand to lay on the
greenrider's stomach. "Tavia is going to have a baby. _My_ baby. So
that means you're going to have a little brother or sister soon." He
looked at the boy, hopeful that he both understood and was happy with
the news.

Kaiafel's brow knit slightly, furrowing much like the bronzerider's was
so prone to do when thinking deeply. He had seen pregnant women before.
She didn't look right. "If she's going to have a baby, then why
doesn't she have a big stomach? You can't have a baby without her
stomach being big."

She grinned "Oh trust me it will get that way, but it has to grow.
Right now it's very small. By the time it's ready to be born my belly
will be plenty big." She leaned back so the softly rounded shape of
her belly is more visible and smoothed her clothing over the top of
her baby bump.

Kaiafel leaned forward, inspecting the bump critically. Satisfied that
she had the correct sign of being with child, he turned to his father
with a grin. "See, I told you she wanted to have sex with you."

U'kaiah snorted, shaking his head with an amused gleam of his eye as he
turned to the greenrider. "At least the books he reads are
educational."

"Your son!" she said pointing at U'kaiah and laughing. "So, do you
want a brother or a sister?" she asked.

"A brother, please," Kaiafel quickly replied, as if they had some choice
in the matter!

"Ok," she replied. "I'll see what I can do about that. Even if I was
kind of hoping for a girl." She picked up her meat pie and took a bit
to try and keep from laughing. She turned her grin on the bronzrider.
She swallowed, "How about you? What do you want?"

"I told you, just your eyes and my smile," he said, leaning in for a
kiss.

"So how long is it going to be until it's born?" Kaiafel asked, ignoring
the public display of affection entirely as he bit into a meat roll.

"Oh we have a few months yet," she said after answering his kiss.
"I was thinking of training Glory to take messages so your dad would
know." Then her eyes widened a little and she smiled. "Would you like
to help me train her when you come for visits?"

"Can I train her now?" Kaiafel asked excitedly, the baby temporarily
forgotten.

"Let's eat first," U'kaiah laughed, shaking his head. It was amazing
how quickly that boy's sharp little mind switched gears!

He was like some kind of toy bouncing from one thing to another. His
mind changed to another subject in a flash. She reached into the
basket. "Want a bubbly?" she said holding it out to him.

"Thank you!" Kaiafel cried as he grabbed the pie out of her hand. He
wasted no time biting into the delicious treat.

"And just what is your desert going to be, Kaiafel? Tuber salad?" he
father asked with an amused chuckle. So much for eating 'real food'
first!

The boy's chewing slowed down considerably as he thought about that. It
didn't sound nearly so good to look forward to! He set the pie down on
the corner of his plate. "I'll eat the rest after, I think."

Tavia smiled and shook her head as he put the pie down and began
gulping the rest of his food. She broke a morsel from her meat pie and
lifted to offer to Glory who'd taken up a perch on her shoulder. She
was feeling rather pleased the way the day was turning out. And they
still were going to play in the water. She was looking forward to
that.

Last updated on the August 4th 2011

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Can I have a bubbly?