Living Cavern (#4190)

T'rell thoughtfully chews on a piece of meat, occasionally glancing toward the northeast caverns. On one of these glances, his gaze slips enough that he notices Kaeryn's arrival, and he seems relieved to see her, beckoning.

Pausing first in the doorway, Kae glances around the room, a trial on its own with Brencia's little fingers waving about in front of her face. A wink is offered in T'rell's direction to show that he's been noticed, and, after grabbing a mug of klah, she heads in his direction. "I think Bren wanted to know where her daddy was," she teases as mother and daughter slip down to sit beside T'rell.

Orbit is here. Surely. And after spending a rewarding afternoon napping in the living caverns, greenrider awakes with a /huge/ yawn and meanders off over to the food, giving folk about a friendly nod.

T'rell's expression relaxes into a smile, reflecting the one on his daughter's cheerful countenance. "Well, here I am," he replies, pushing out a chair for Kaeryn to join him; he seems about speak again, but hesitates with a slightly disturbed manner.

A quiet glance at her 'mate' and Kae pauses, in the middle of her motion to sit, and passes their little one over into T'rell's arms. After all, who can help but smile when there's a burbling toddler in their arms? Her chair is pulled a little closer to him before she settles into it, and a tender touch of her fingers brushes his arm, "You alright?"

T'rell gladly receives Brencia, bouncing her lightly on his knee for a moment before he nods to Kaeryn, still solemn. "I just took Annly into the infirmary," he summarizes quietly.

Kae's hand pauses mid-motion, the mug of steaming klah grasped in it, as it was being lifted to her lips. Motion reversed, the mug is replaced to the table and pushed just out of Bren's reach. The little one's attention isn't on the mug, however, but moreso on her father's nose, which she reaches out for. Kae chews quietly on her lower lip for a moment, "Is she going to be alright?"

T'rell shrugs, distracting himself by allowing his daughter to nearly grab his nose before pulling away, only to come closer again. A few minutes of treasured silliness, and the baby grows weary of the game. "I guess we'll find out," he replies eventually. "She didn't want me to call S'cud in yet."

Kaeryn decides not to say anything else, just leans in so that her head touches T'rell's shoulder lightly, watching Brencia squirm about, her little fingers finding something new to toy with... T'rell's knot being dangling enough to interest her. "She'll be fine, I'm sure," the harper whispers softly.

T'rell's knot is messy enough already; there's little damage a 10-month-old can do, so the man lets her play with it while he picks up his klah mug again. "Yeah, I'm sure she will."

"This little one is becoming an echo, or trying to be," Kae notes softly, reaching out to brush a curl away from her daughter's forehead. "I was humming, and I promise it sounded like she was trying to repeat me. I must have been imagining things, but we have been working on trying to get her to repeat me. Wanna hear us try?"

T'rell suddenly grins, setting down his mug. "A little mimic, is that it?" he asks the baby. "Singing already?" He shifts her on his knee to face her mother, raising his eyebrows expectantly.

"I can't promise words, but she's pretty good at sounds," Kae, teacher or no, doesn't want to get T'rell's hopes up overly high. Reaching up to touch her finger to the little ones lips first, then pulling it away, Kae hums softly, a small collection of notes, and then repeats it several times. At first, Bren just watches her mother, but after listening to it three full times, the toddler opens her mouth and does her best to mimic her mother. Notes are fuddled a bit, and the intervals are definitely far from perfect, a few even being ignored completely, but it's a start.

T'rell smiles broadly and proudly. "Hey, that's great! Have you started her in on the ballads yet?" he jokes lightly, whistling the first simple phrase of the alarm chorus.

Kae laughs and shakes her head, giving T'rell a little smile. "I'm afraid not. That's a little above her abilities, I think." After humming the phrase one more time, she shrugs, "That's the song I use to sing her to sleep, so she's pretty familiar with it. It isn't like it's something she heard for the first time but... we tried this today to." Once again, she touches Bren's lips to get her attention, and says softly, but clearly, "Ma." Brencia, doing her best to repeat, mumbles, "Na."

T'rell leans over to watch Brencia's incredible performance, eyes alight. "When did she start talking?" When the rider was on sweeps or watch, no doubt. "Ma," he tries, speaking directly to Brencia and pointing at Kaeryn as he glances up to catch the harper's eye.

Attention turning to her father, Bren loses all interest in her mother's efforts, instead reaches out for the knot on T'rell's shoulder again, giving it a good, firm tug. "Na," she belatedly repeats, little brown eyes glancing toward her mother for approval.

Kaeryn grins and shakes her head, "Get her to look at you, and try to get her to say 'da'. I've been trying to teach her that all day, so she might just surprise us." With a shrug of her shoulders and a brush of her fingers through her hair, the harper shows no real understanding, "She isn't really talking. Not yet. She's always made sounds to get our attention, but she's just now learning to mimic."

T'rell laughs lightly as the girl goes for his uniform again. "She's much more interested in that knot," he tells Kaeryn as he tries to catch the baby's attention again. "Can you say 'Da'?" A silly grin slips into his expression as he waits to see what she'll do.

Little pink fingers continue to curl and uncurl around the knot, causing it to wiggle and causing Brencia to laugh happily. Soft brown eyes shift their attention to T'rell as he speaks, her head cocking to the side, much like her mother's does, as she pays attention. Her fingers leave the knot, and instead reach for T'rell's moving lips, causing Kae to laugh and nod her head. "You've her attention now. Try again."

"Da," T'rell repeats the syllable, matching brown eyes for brown eyes as he holds Brencia's attention for the moment -- and she holds his, undivided.

Tiny, pale pink lips part, Brencia's own matching her father's for a quiet moment, just mocking the motion without the sound. Mouth closes again, but when it opens the next time, she's actually vocal, repeating carefully. "Da."

Kaeryn laughs and claps her hands together in delight, leaning in to plant a kiss on T'rell's cheek. "She said it, finally! I was hoping she would, but was afraid she'd catch on when you weren't around." A proud, overwhelmingly motherly smile is granted their daughter.

T'rell's jaw drops, and the man blinks at the girl. "She... she..." Proud father, he just starts to beam, at Brencia, at Kaeryn, and at a passing drudge. "Good girl!" he approves enthusiastically, planting a kiss on the baby's inclined forehead.

Obviously pleased at the reaction she's receiving for what she's just done, Bren tries again, lips parting, and tongue touching the roof of her mouth. "Da. Da. Duh. Duh!" Squiring happily, she giggles, attention straying once again to the knot on his shoulder, which is tugged on, little fingers trying to pull it from his jacket.

"She's a smart girl," Kae agrees, nodding her head slightly, reaching up to brush her fingers over their daughter's curl covered head.

T'rell nods again, approvingly. "Da," he repeats, just for reinforcement as well as to get her to do it again; this is fun. "Your mom's a good teacher." He smiles broadly to both mother and daughter.

Bren's attention doesn't stray again. Nope, she's infatuated with the lovely cords her fingers are wrapped around. Wobbling, she tries to scoot forward in his lap, determined to do something. Getting closer to them, she reaches her head up, and clamps down on the nearest cord.

"Uh oh, it looks like she's still teething," Kae laughs softly, reaching up to pull the knot from her daughter's grip and mouth, wrinkling her nose as her hand touches the drool covered ornament. "So, it was about time you got a new knot anyway, right?"

T'rell eyes knot and re-attached child as the girl's insistent hands grab it again, and laughs. "It's a good seven turns old," he estimates. "I try to avoid needing new ones." Still, he's in a forgiving mood just now. "We'll work on 'Ma' next," he tells Kaeryn, reaching to give her hand a quick squeeze.

"Aw, I'm not worried about that," Kae grins, shaking her head as she squeezes T'rell's hand in return. "I wanted us to surprise you, so we've been working on 'Da' a little more than anything else." The knot is eyed again, and she shakes her head, "If you're sweet to us, I might just make you a new one myself. I'm getting good at those."

T'rell might just start enjoying the benefits of having a steady weyrmate... he chuckles. "How about dinner?" Hey, that's sweet -- even if all he has to do is cross the room to get it.

"I think I'll pass," Kae replies with a shake of her golden-topped head and an appreciative smile, her fingers finding their way to the mug of klah once again. Drink is lifted to her lips, despite the fact that the steam has completely faded by now, and she takes a sip of the strong drink.

"Oh, sure, be difficult," T'rell jokes to Kaeryn while Brencia tugs hard enough on the knot to shift his stiff wherhide jacket on his shoulders. "You really like that knot, don't you?"

Kaeryn wrinkles her nose and shakes her head all in one motion, her soft blue orbs gazing quietly on the father-daughter pair as she continues to sip from her cold mug of klah. "I'm actually just trying to stay awake, and think the klah is my best bet there," the harper admits softly, giving T'rell an award winning grin.

"Then how about I watch this miniature marvel for an hour or so before we're on watch, and you grab a nap?" T'rell's not even trying to wangle a knot out of it anymore. "You've earned it." He hoists Brencia up into the crook of his arm, which gives her even better access to his knot; he stands, grabbing the last roll from his nearly-finished dinner.

"But I've commisions to finish," Kae protests, even as she gets to her feet to follow him back to the room. "Three of them, all needing to be done as soon as they can be, one of which is supposed to be a gift for some Lady Holder or other," a shake of her head shows that her memory, which is usually very clear, is being affected by her lack of sleep.

"A nap won't delay your commissions any longer than trying to keep awake will," T'rell points out. "And they'll be better for the sleep. Besides, you've had her all day," he protests, grinning. "I get her now." He pokes at one of Brencia's ticklish spots with a finger, starting her giggling as she grabs for the finger.

Kae lifts her hands, about ready to protest again, and just shrugs her shoulders instead, "I suppose you're right. I'll probably work a little better with a little sleep in me." Hand motions in the direction of her room, and she wanders off that way, not waiting for the pair to follow her, knowing they can keep up well enough with T'rell's usual pace.

South Caverns (#7009)

T'rell makes less progress than usual, being that he slows down at each item of interest to Brencia, reciting off names for them all as he goes.

"Why do I have the feeling she'll be speaking in full sentences before I wake?" Kae teases, slowing enough to let them catch up to her. "Don't forget to teach her to say Sejith, of course."

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