Harper's Tale-Kaeryn - Tuesday, July 18, 2000, 5:57 PM

T'rell hooks the curtain back, the fresh breeze flooding the room. "You've nearly missed lunch," he tells Kaeryn. "Hungry?" He carries a small napkin-wrapped bundle, which he places on a trunk. As he sits on the edge of the cot, he unshoulders his jacket, tossing it aside over one of the cot's footposts.

"Not really," Kae replies as she moves into a seated position, but her stomach growls loud enough for anyone to hear and she is forced to grin. "I guess the baby is, though, so I don't suppose I should skip lunch," her gaze falls on the small bundle and she cocks her head to the side, "What's in there?"

T'rell picks up a sample of each as he speaks, showing it over his shoulder to Kaeryn behind him. "Bread, cheese, spiderclaws, a fishroll and some fingerroots." He shrugs, turning around to look at her. "I figure you've got to like one or two of them."

"Ooh," Kae's eyes light up and she leans forward, placing her chin on his shoulder so she can see past him to peek into the bundle. "Cheese and bread sound nice," she mumbles quietly, reaching a hand around to sneak a piece from his hands, all while planting a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Fall today?"

T'rell nods. "Just an hour to mop up the last of the Igen fall early this morning. Why, didn't I get all the firestone out?" Not like his jacket isn't completely permeated with it all the time anyway.

Kaeryn takes a deep breath as she nuzzles her head against his neck for a quiet moment, her eyes closed. "There's always a hint of it in your clothes anyway, but a bit moreso on days of fall, yes," she nods her head slightly before leaning back and nibbling on the piece of cheese, her eyes quickly checking him over to make sure he's uninjured.

T'rell laughs lightly. "We're both fine. We only had one minor injury for the wing, and I think about five overall. Just ash burns, one light score."

"I had to check," Kae explains as if it's something he should just get accustomed to, and becomes quietly involved with making a sandwich of her cheese and bread.

T'rell moves over to let Kaeryn get at the food better. "I don't mind." Unable to sit still for too long, he stands again, opening up the cupboard to reveal the gleaming copper of the still. "I should start another batch," he considers.

Kaeryn both licks her lips and wrinkles her freckled nose at the still as she continues to munch on her late lunch. Bare feet are dropped over the side of the bed so that they dangle above the floor, and she swings them gently as she chews. "How long does it take?" she queries, peering at the contraption with a somewhat confused look.

"I won't be drinking it," Kae notes sadly, her voice bland as she stares at the fingerroot she now holds in the palm of her hand. "Not for a bit longer, anyhow," she adds, as if realizing how that might have sounded. "Jathen says that it probably isn't a good idea for me to drink anything other water and juice, you know."

"Okay, so I'll start something that takes a while," T'rell decides. "Sweet or sharp?"

"Sweet," Kae replies almost instantly, grinning, as she polishes off the fishroll and leaves the spiderclaws for the gold critter that follows her wherever she goes. "I'll be needing plenty of that immediately after this little one makes his or her appearance, you know," Kae states, matter-of-factly. "Or just a big rock to the head, one or the other," she adds as she stretches her legs out before her for a moment and frowns at them.

T'rell holds up a finger to forestall that thought. "That's why I'm starting a batch," he notes meaningfully. "Do I need to warn Sejith not to bring up any large rocks?"

"I don't know, /do/ you?" Kae turns the question back on T'rell as she looks in the general direction of Sejith and shakes her head, "he might not like the idea of a whimpering woman in his weyr, you know." Legs are relaxed so that they swing once again, their puffiness forgotten for now.

T'rell chuckles. "He's had others," he teases, purposefully delving into his stores at that moment.

Kae's jaw snaps shut at the comment, and she continues to swing her legs, bare toes occasionally scraping along the floor. "Hmph," she sounds and flops gently backwards on the bed so that her face is hidden from sight by the roundess of her belly.

T'rell peers out, then straightens up and chuckles.

Kaeryn wiggles her toes as she stares up at the ceiling. "Shouldn't tease an emotional woman, you know," she mumbles softly.

T'rell returns a jar to its place, closing the cabinet door. Quietly, he walks over to the bed, curiously looking down at Kaeryn. "It's true, you know." He grins, waiting for some kind of response.

"Pfft," Kae makes a sort of hissing sound and closes her eyes. T'rell relents, bending over with only the light creak of his boots to note that he's shifted his weight. Silently, he gives a light kiss to Kaeryn's lips, hovering for just a moment.

Kae shifts a little after the kiss, and opens her eyes again to find herself staring directly into T'rell's. She blinks them, slowly, and just watches him.

"Was that enough? There's always something edible down in the caverns, and you haven't been out all morning." From outside, Sejith opens an eye curiously; T'rell doesn't usually say stuff like that.

"Juice would be nice," Kae admits as she holds her gaze steady on T'rell and gently pushes him out of the way so she can sit up again. As her feet touch the floor, she pulls herself to her feet and stands up as straight as she can. "I don't mean to be so..so..emotional," she apologizes softly after turning to face away from him.

T'rell touches Kaeryn's shoulder, approaching from behind. "I should learn not to play with fire," he admits. "It's not your fault." With a lightly guiding arm, he gestures to the open curtain.

Kae nods her head and turns in the direction of the curtain, pausing before walking that way. "I shouldn't get upset to think about other women being in your weyr," she whispers softly, her eyes studying the floor. "I haven't the right to do that, I just..." her head shakes and moves toward Sejith, leaving the sentence open.

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