Post by Anna on Mar 11, 2009 13:38:15 GMT -5
When submitting stories, please ensure that the story is in the proper format.
Title should be on the first line, flush to the left margin.
Author(s) should be on the second line, flush to the left margin.
A blank line should follow, then the date and location of the story, at least for the start, should be flush to the left margin and on the same line.
Another blank line should follow that, then the story should begin. Do not indent anything. There should be a blank line between each paragraph. If there is dialogue, each speaker gets their own paragraph. Telepathic speech should be italicized. Words that need stressing or emphasis should be bold. Verbalized thoughts should be italicized and inside 'single quotes.'
When a scene ends, have a blank line between the last paragraph and the scene divisor of three pound signs (###).
Below the pound signs, enter the new date and location, followed by another blank line. After that blank line, the next scene should begin.
Write END at the end of the story so we know that it's finished.
After writing END, indicate what level of editing you want:
Light: we make sure there are no continuity problems.
Medium: we check continuity, basic grammar, and overall logic.
Heavy: we check continuity, grammar, overall logic, and check for plot holes that might need fixing - basically writing group support to help improve writing skills.
Be advised that Heavy editing may not be available for stories submitted on the day of the submission deadline.
Save the file in .rtf format, which is a format that every word processing program can read.
EXAMPLE OF A SUBMISSION:
My Daddy Is Not a Tree!
Anna Smith
33.04.15, StarRise Weyr
Greens!
“No.”
But…greens!
“No.”
Just for a-
“No! If you go off and start making time with the greens you won’t be back until the sun goes down and I still haven’t finished rearranging the furniture.” Reyna propped her fists on her hips and turned to glare at Lesanth’s brown rump. He was half-dangling from the weyrledge, eyeing – apparently – a gathering of green dragons who were – again, apparently – somewhere below the level of his ledge. “Now, get that tongue back in your mouth and get back in here. I can’t move this couch by myself!”
Lesanth heaved a heavy sigh and slumped back into the weyr, giving Reyna a mournful, pathetic look all the while. The brownrider was unmoved. She had a daughter, and eight turn old, and was immune to this particular tactic. It hadn’t escaped her notice, either, that Lesanth hadn’t started using it until after Jayna had. Those two were as thick as thieves and Reyna was glad, glad, glad she’d left Jayna in the nursery while she got things settled here.
“I need it there,” Reyna said, pointing to the far end of the weyr. “Away from the entrance.”
Lesanth eyed the couch. It was a large thing, full of overstuffed pillows and a deep blue in color. He nudged it and it didn’t budge. Reyna growled and he twitched, looking over at her sadly. She was unimpressed. He sighed again and gave the couch another, heftier push. It moved and he followed it obediently.
“Thank you,” Reyna said, turning briskly away. She reached a long, rolled tube of carpeting and pushed it to approximately the place she wanted it. With a push along the top, she unrolled it steadily, revealing a swirling pattern in shades of blue and gold. StarRise might be an island Weyr, but stone was stone and it was cold to the bare feet. Lesanth watched with interest, his pouting forgotten. He was fascinated by the way the grey room was quickly becoming a place of color.
With the carpet unrolled, Reyna leaned back on her heels and pushed a strand of hair off her forehead. The room was coming together. The couch and carpet were accompanied by a long bench, with a thick, blue leather padded seat. A couple of gold-toned pillows were already placed artfully on the bench. To one side of the room was a small table with a couple of chairs, for those nights when she preferred privacy for her meals, or was working on something that required a table.
Two curtains with patterns matching the carpet hung over the doors to Reyna’s sleeping room, and the tunnel leading to her shared bathing room. Reyna had saved for turns to get the marks to buy both carpet and curtains, but it was worth it. Now, wherever she went, she’d be home.
Not that she intended to go anywhere else. StarRise was it for her. Unless the Weyr actually opened up and ate her screaming body, she wasn’t leaving again.
Of course, the way things went around here, it was entirely likely the Weyr would do just that.
‘I need flowers,’ she thought absently, eyeing the bare-topped table. ‘Something to bring a little more cheer in here. And pictures. The walls are too bare. Who do I know that draws or paints?’
Shells if she knew. It had been so long since she’d spent a great deal of time with any of her old wingmates and friends; she’d forgotten so many of the little quirk and interests they’d had. She didn’t even know who all was coming back. There just hadn’t been time to keep in touch, what with participating in wingdrills for two wings, and flying ‘Fall for two Weyrs. Reyna felt exhaustion deep in her bones and she was infinitely grateful that her duties would not be to one Weyr, one territory.
She was just as glad to be returning to familiar leadership, too. She didn’t know acting Weyrwoman Taveera, but she knew Melina, and D’ven. If they were coming back, she’d decided, then StarRise was worth coming back to. She’d known it was the right decision as soon as Lesanth had exited between. It just felt right.
This is home. This is where I hatched, and found you.
Reyna smiled, feeling the steady, continuous flow of loving that joined her with Lesanth. He was right. This was home.
And there was still much work to be done to make home comfortable. She’d worry about pictures for the walls later. She still had a bed to make up, toiletries to set out and clothes to unpack before the day was done.
###
“What’s that?”
Reyna looked where Jayna was pointing and came to a dead stop. “Oh.”
“What is it, Momma?” Jayna demanded, tugging on Reyna’s hand. “Who was she?”
Reyna looked at the mural for another moment, then ran her hand over Jayna’s dark hair. “She was Weyrwoman Vinalli, sweetie. When the earthquake came, she and her gold were in the cavern beyond, on the hatching sands.”
“Where is she now? Why did they paint her picture?”
Reyna started to answer, then stopped. She couldn’t very well tell her daughter that, technically, Vinalli was still in the cavern. First, she didn’t know that for sure. Second, it was kind of icky thinking about it. “She died, Jayna. She and her dragon. The cavern has a weak roof and it looks like they’ve sealed it off. Weyrwoman Vinalli was a good Weyrwoman. It’s a nice way to honor her, I think.”
Jayna eyed the mural for a silent moment. “She looks happy,” the child finally decided, and turned away. “What’s over there?”
Reyna almost laughed. “I know the nursery aunties gave you a tour, Jayna. Why all the questions?”
Jayna looked up at her with wide blue eyes. “I forgot?”
“Mmmm.” Reyna narrowed her own eyes and shook her head. “In that direction are the infirmaries. We are going this way, to the dining hall, so we can get food. You are hungry, aren’t you?”
Jayna’s innocent look intensified. “Weeeellllll…..”
Aha! Now Reyna had an idea of what the purpose was of all the questions. It was the Distract Mommy Before I’m In Trouble Game. They’d only been here a day, however. How much trouble could an eight-turn old get into?
There was one way to find out: do exactly what Jayna was trying to stop her from doing. “Enough, Jayna. I’m hungry. Let’s get going and maybe – just maybe – we’ll see Uncle A’ryn in there.”
That perked Jayna up and the child dashed straight off, giving the lie to her professed forgetfulness. Reyna watched her go, stretching her own stride to keep the child in sight but without rushing headlong through the Weyrbowl. She knew A’ryn would be an irresistible temptation to her daughter. The child doted on her brother. It was so cute to watch.
Jayna came to a stop just inside the cavernous dining hall. She looked around with wide eyes. The size didn’t stun her, but the mass of unknown people did. When Reyna arrived, Jayna slid her hand into her mother’s and stayed close. Reyna almost tripped on her a time or two, but didn’t have the heart to tell her to back off. It was hard to leave the familiar environment she’d known more than half her life. Reyna knew it wouldn’t take long before Jayna was racing off again, so she had no problems giving her daughter the time she needed to make the adjustment.
Two plates were quickly filled from the buffet tables and Reyna went looking for an unclaimed table. She recognized several familiar faces, but tonight she’d leave it for them to approach her. Jayna wasn’t quite ready to be outgoing yet. Reyna found one, not far from a table where a very familiar wealth of black hair could be seen. A gold firelizard zipped around overhead, quickly joined by another gold, a green, and a bronze. Reyna looked around to see if any cat were following.
“Here we are,” Reyna said, sliding the two plates onto the table and watching while Jayna settled herself into her seat. “Remember, eat your-
“-vegetables first,” Jayna said with her, heaving a big sigh as she picked up her fork. “I know, I know! You tell me every time.”
“That’s because if I don’t, you won’t,” Reyna chuckled, sliding into her own seat and taking a sip of her wine before she reached for her own utensils. “Tell me what you did today.”
Jayna launched into a long, winding story that started around the time Reyna had dropped her off in the nursery, skipped a bewildering path through the tour of the Weyr, hopskotched around with who she’d met and what they’d been like, swirled around the events of a fight between two boys, and leaped to a conclusion featuring stories of the Dueling Duo.
“Dueling Duo – I haven’t heard that term in turns!” Reyna turned around with a grin and held her hands out to C’jan. “There you are, Reyna. We wondered when you’d be arriving. I think you’re the last of us,” the greenrider said, taking Reyna’s hands and bending over to kiss her cheek. “Welcome back home.”
“Planning on letting anyone else through?” T’ril chuckled, pushing his weyrmate aside and kissing Reyna’s other cheek. “But the wingleader here is right; we haven’t heard that in ages! Any of the Family Forest planning on coming back?”
“C’jan, T’ril,” Reyna said, grinning at them, and then leaning to one side to look beyond them. “M’teo, Savante. Have a seat and join us?”
“I’ll go grab some food,” M’teo offered, nudging Savante. “C’mon, Sav, you can be my packmule.”
She snorted. "Thanks so much. Good thing for you, I'm hungry, too."
“Uncle C’jan! Uncle T’ril!” Jayna bounced out of her seat and launched herself at the two men. “What’s a family forest?”
“Faranth, are they back?” Aerden stopped dead beside the table, and looked around quickly. Reyna wouldn’t have said he was frightened, but she would say he was wary. Beside him, Z’leena arched an eyebrow and shifted the toddler on her hip. “I don’t see them…”
“The Family Forest hasn’t replanted itself yet,” Reyna assured him. “The healers at Sable said to tell you that your office is still open, Weyrhealer,” she added, sliding over so quartet who’d first stopped at her table could sit down.
Aerden snorted. “I am not returning to Sable.”
Reyna grinned and transferred her gaze to the brownrider at his side. “Weyrleader N’shi says he has your rank cords in his pocket, ready to hand back as soon as you land.”
Z’leena’s other eyebrow rose to the same level as the first and, with a faint smile, she silently pointed the StarRise wingsecond cords already on her shoulder. She set Aerleena on the bench beside Jayna, and then pointed the two boys behind her at the same bench. “Sit. I’ll bring your dinner.”
Aerden absently kissed Z’leena’s temple before she left, then turned his attention back to Reyna. “She’s not going back to Sable, either,” he said firmly. He scanned the room again. “The Family Forest really isn’t here?”
“What’s a Family Forest?” Jayna demanded again, looking up from handing Aerleena raw orangeroot to gnaw on.
Aerden chuckled and firmly separated Zalren and Zalden before the two boys’ quiet argument escalated to something louder. “Well, it’s – “
“Oh, tell me they aren’t here!” Kadyra demanded, stopping at the table. “That Korstainje…! Please tell me they’re not here. I swear half my accidents were her fault!” She shuddered dramatically and dropped down on the bench. “Sit, Ildaura,” she added, looking at the greenrider who’d arrived with her. “Please, Reyna – the Dueling Duo were bad enough. But the whole Family Forest together?” She gave another exaggerated shudder.
“Reyna! You’re home!” Alissi descended on the group with no regard to who she interrupted and enveloped Reyna in a hug. "Thank Faranth! We need someone with sense to keep these rogues in line!"
Reyna laughed and returned Alissi’s hug, then shifted over so there was room for her at the table, as well. “It’s a good thing I chose a large table,” she commented dryly.
“Momma, what is a family forest?!” Jayna demanded impatiently.
Reyna cleared her throat and took a sip of her wine. “It’s the genealogy of a particular family, Jayna,” she answered with only a hint of laughter in her tone.
C’jan snorted. “Oh, that’s being vague. That man had some many kids that that he couldn’t be confined to a single tree. Remember when they started showing up out of the woodwork?”
“Weyrwoman Lalytha was hit on by her own brother,” T’ril added, grinning. “He looked like a thundercloud for days after he found out.”
“Faranth, remember when D’ven’s kids were born? And then Zalren?” Aerden shook his head. “They took over the infirmary. You couldn’t move without tripping over one of them.”
Jayna was nearly dancing in her seat with curiosity and annoyance in equal parts. Why was no one answering her question? It was an easy one! “Momma-“
“We’ve got food!” M’teo announced as he arrived with several platters lined up his arm. Behind him, Savante carried a stack of plates with eating utensils on top of them. M’teo put the platters down as Savante passed around the plates.
Z’leena followed just behind her, four plates in hand. She set one in front of each of her sons and one in front of Aerden. She sat down beside him, shifted Aerleena into her lap and took away the much gnawed carrot stick. Picking up her spoon, she offered the toddler mashed tuber instead.
“Remember the invasion of the infirmary when you had Zalren?” Aerden asked her.
“They were helpful before that,” Z’leena pointed out.
“Mm-hmm.” Aerden sliced his roast wherry. “They hit on you the entire time.”
Z’leena shrugged and cut her baked fish into tiny pieces. She offered on to Aerleena, who eagerly reached for it. The look she slid towards Aerden, however, could only have been described as amused.
“Remember the brawl in the Dragons Eye?” C’jan said.
“Or the fight with the crew from that ship at dock – what was it called again?”
“What about the time when…”
Reyna let the words flow around her around as she ate her dinner. Jayna, she could see, was getting more and more frustrated, but it would do the child good to learn that all answers weren’t available simply because she demanded them. And it was fun to watch her frustration build. Eventually, definitely before the meal was over, Jayna would have her answer.
“And what about the auction?” Alissi’s grin was pure evil as she looked at Reyna. “And you thought you were safe.”
“I should have been,” Reyna retorted. “I was the auctioneer. Whoever heard of selling off the auctioneer?”
“All for a good cause, Reyna love,” T’ril said airily. “It’s not like you didn’t get anything out of it.”
C’jan snorted. “The look on J’ser’s face when you told him – “
“The look on J’ren’s face when she called him grandpa!”
Jayna’s dark brows snapped down. Her full lips tensed and turned down as she heard the laughter directed at her father and grandfather. She didn’t really know either well. It had been five turns since she’d seen either. Reyna had always been careful to honest with her daughter about her father and grandfather, but that honesty had also been carefully tailored. Only now did Reyna remember that she’d never referred to J’ser as one of the Dueling Duo to her daughter, or to that side of the child’s family as the Family Forest.
“And you, dear Reyna, had the honor of being the next generation of the Family Forest!” Alissi teased, looking over at Jayna.
An odd expression flashed over Jayna’s face, and then a look that Reyna knew well. Jayna was a good child, usually. But she had a wicked sense of humor and a thirst for vengeance that left Reyna simply bemused. Jayna had just figured out that Reyna had been intentionally avoiding her answer, and that the answer involved her father and grandfather. And now she was going to get even.
Faranth help them. Jayna was an honest heir to the theater crafters of their family.
“Stop it! Stop it!" Jayna suddenly shrieked at the top of her lungs, her face turning red and her eyes welling with tears. “You’re mean! All of you! My daddy is not a tree!”
Dead silence fell and Jayna collapsed into hysterical sobs, her head buried in her arms. The adults stared at her with wide eyes, and then Z’leena looked straight at Reyna. “That’s very good. Have you been fostering her with your family?”
“There’s no need to,” Reyna sighed. “Her acting talents are completely natural.”
Jayna started to wail louder, but the cries immediately transformed to giggles, then shrieks of laughter, and StarRise’s most intimidating brownrider proceeded to tickle the girl out of her feigned hysterics.
END
Editing Requested: Light
Title should be on the first line, flush to the left margin.
Author(s) should be on the second line, flush to the left margin.
A blank line should follow, then the date and location of the story, at least for the start, should be flush to the left margin and on the same line.
Another blank line should follow that, then the story should begin. Do not indent anything. There should be a blank line between each paragraph. If there is dialogue, each speaker gets their own paragraph. Telepathic speech should be italicized. Words that need stressing or emphasis should be bold. Verbalized thoughts should be italicized and inside 'single quotes.'
When a scene ends, have a blank line between the last paragraph and the scene divisor of three pound signs (###).
Below the pound signs, enter the new date and location, followed by another blank line. After that blank line, the next scene should begin.
Write END at the end of the story so we know that it's finished.
After writing END, indicate what level of editing you want:
Light: we make sure there are no continuity problems.
Medium: we check continuity, basic grammar, and overall logic.
Heavy: we check continuity, grammar, overall logic, and check for plot holes that might need fixing - basically writing group support to help improve writing skills.
Be advised that Heavy editing may not be available for stories submitted on the day of the submission deadline.
Save the file in .rtf format, which is a format that every word processing program can read.
EXAMPLE OF A SUBMISSION:
My Daddy Is Not a Tree!
Anna Smith
33.04.15, StarRise Weyr
Greens!
“No.”
But…greens!
“No.”
Just for a-
“No! If you go off and start making time with the greens you won’t be back until the sun goes down and I still haven’t finished rearranging the furniture.” Reyna propped her fists on her hips and turned to glare at Lesanth’s brown rump. He was half-dangling from the weyrledge, eyeing – apparently – a gathering of green dragons who were – again, apparently – somewhere below the level of his ledge. “Now, get that tongue back in your mouth and get back in here. I can’t move this couch by myself!”
Lesanth heaved a heavy sigh and slumped back into the weyr, giving Reyna a mournful, pathetic look all the while. The brownrider was unmoved. She had a daughter, and eight turn old, and was immune to this particular tactic. It hadn’t escaped her notice, either, that Lesanth hadn’t started using it until after Jayna had. Those two were as thick as thieves and Reyna was glad, glad, glad she’d left Jayna in the nursery while she got things settled here.
“I need it there,” Reyna said, pointing to the far end of the weyr. “Away from the entrance.”
Lesanth eyed the couch. It was a large thing, full of overstuffed pillows and a deep blue in color. He nudged it and it didn’t budge. Reyna growled and he twitched, looking over at her sadly. She was unimpressed. He sighed again and gave the couch another, heftier push. It moved and he followed it obediently.
“Thank you,” Reyna said, turning briskly away. She reached a long, rolled tube of carpeting and pushed it to approximately the place she wanted it. With a push along the top, she unrolled it steadily, revealing a swirling pattern in shades of blue and gold. StarRise might be an island Weyr, but stone was stone and it was cold to the bare feet. Lesanth watched with interest, his pouting forgotten. He was fascinated by the way the grey room was quickly becoming a place of color.
With the carpet unrolled, Reyna leaned back on her heels and pushed a strand of hair off her forehead. The room was coming together. The couch and carpet were accompanied by a long bench, with a thick, blue leather padded seat. A couple of gold-toned pillows were already placed artfully on the bench. To one side of the room was a small table with a couple of chairs, for those nights when she preferred privacy for her meals, or was working on something that required a table.
Two curtains with patterns matching the carpet hung over the doors to Reyna’s sleeping room, and the tunnel leading to her shared bathing room. Reyna had saved for turns to get the marks to buy both carpet and curtains, but it was worth it. Now, wherever she went, she’d be home.
Not that she intended to go anywhere else. StarRise was it for her. Unless the Weyr actually opened up and ate her screaming body, she wasn’t leaving again.
Of course, the way things went around here, it was entirely likely the Weyr would do just that.
‘I need flowers,’ she thought absently, eyeing the bare-topped table. ‘Something to bring a little more cheer in here. And pictures. The walls are too bare. Who do I know that draws or paints?’
Shells if she knew. It had been so long since she’d spent a great deal of time with any of her old wingmates and friends; she’d forgotten so many of the little quirk and interests they’d had. She didn’t even know who all was coming back. There just hadn’t been time to keep in touch, what with participating in wingdrills for two wings, and flying ‘Fall for two Weyrs. Reyna felt exhaustion deep in her bones and she was infinitely grateful that her duties would not be to one Weyr, one territory.
She was just as glad to be returning to familiar leadership, too. She didn’t know acting Weyrwoman Taveera, but she knew Melina, and D’ven. If they were coming back, she’d decided, then StarRise was worth coming back to. She’d known it was the right decision as soon as Lesanth had exited between. It just felt right.
This is home. This is where I hatched, and found you.
Reyna smiled, feeling the steady, continuous flow of loving that joined her with Lesanth. He was right. This was home.
And there was still much work to be done to make home comfortable. She’d worry about pictures for the walls later. She still had a bed to make up, toiletries to set out and clothes to unpack before the day was done.
###
“What’s that?”
Reyna looked where Jayna was pointing and came to a dead stop. “Oh.”
“What is it, Momma?” Jayna demanded, tugging on Reyna’s hand. “Who was she?”
Reyna looked at the mural for another moment, then ran her hand over Jayna’s dark hair. “She was Weyrwoman Vinalli, sweetie. When the earthquake came, she and her gold were in the cavern beyond, on the hatching sands.”
“Where is she now? Why did they paint her picture?”
Reyna started to answer, then stopped. She couldn’t very well tell her daughter that, technically, Vinalli was still in the cavern. First, she didn’t know that for sure. Second, it was kind of icky thinking about it. “She died, Jayna. She and her dragon. The cavern has a weak roof and it looks like they’ve sealed it off. Weyrwoman Vinalli was a good Weyrwoman. It’s a nice way to honor her, I think.”
Jayna eyed the mural for a silent moment. “She looks happy,” the child finally decided, and turned away. “What’s over there?”
Reyna almost laughed. “I know the nursery aunties gave you a tour, Jayna. Why all the questions?”
Jayna looked up at her with wide blue eyes. “I forgot?”
“Mmmm.” Reyna narrowed her own eyes and shook her head. “In that direction are the infirmaries. We are going this way, to the dining hall, so we can get food. You are hungry, aren’t you?”
Jayna’s innocent look intensified. “Weeeellllll…..”
Aha! Now Reyna had an idea of what the purpose was of all the questions. It was the Distract Mommy Before I’m In Trouble Game. They’d only been here a day, however. How much trouble could an eight-turn old get into?
There was one way to find out: do exactly what Jayna was trying to stop her from doing. “Enough, Jayna. I’m hungry. Let’s get going and maybe – just maybe – we’ll see Uncle A’ryn in there.”
That perked Jayna up and the child dashed straight off, giving the lie to her professed forgetfulness. Reyna watched her go, stretching her own stride to keep the child in sight but without rushing headlong through the Weyrbowl. She knew A’ryn would be an irresistible temptation to her daughter. The child doted on her brother. It was so cute to watch.
Jayna came to a stop just inside the cavernous dining hall. She looked around with wide eyes. The size didn’t stun her, but the mass of unknown people did. When Reyna arrived, Jayna slid her hand into her mother’s and stayed close. Reyna almost tripped on her a time or two, but didn’t have the heart to tell her to back off. It was hard to leave the familiar environment she’d known more than half her life. Reyna knew it wouldn’t take long before Jayna was racing off again, so she had no problems giving her daughter the time she needed to make the adjustment.
Two plates were quickly filled from the buffet tables and Reyna went looking for an unclaimed table. She recognized several familiar faces, but tonight she’d leave it for them to approach her. Jayna wasn’t quite ready to be outgoing yet. Reyna found one, not far from a table where a very familiar wealth of black hair could be seen. A gold firelizard zipped around overhead, quickly joined by another gold, a green, and a bronze. Reyna looked around to see if any cat were following.
“Here we are,” Reyna said, sliding the two plates onto the table and watching while Jayna settled herself into her seat. “Remember, eat your-
“-vegetables first,” Jayna said with her, heaving a big sigh as she picked up her fork. “I know, I know! You tell me every time.”
“That’s because if I don’t, you won’t,” Reyna chuckled, sliding into her own seat and taking a sip of her wine before she reached for her own utensils. “Tell me what you did today.”
Jayna launched into a long, winding story that started around the time Reyna had dropped her off in the nursery, skipped a bewildering path through the tour of the Weyr, hopskotched around with who she’d met and what they’d been like, swirled around the events of a fight between two boys, and leaped to a conclusion featuring stories of the Dueling Duo.
“Dueling Duo – I haven’t heard that term in turns!” Reyna turned around with a grin and held her hands out to C’jan. “There you are, Reyna. We wondered when you’d be arriving. I think you’re the last of us,” the greenrider said, taking Reyna’s hands and bending over to kiss her cheek. “Welcome back home.”
“Planning on letting anyone else through?” T’ril chuckled, pushing his weyrmate aside and kissing Reyna’s other cheek. “But the wingleader here is right; we haven’t heard that in ages! Any of the Family Forest planning on coming back?”
“C’jan, T’ril,” Reyna said, grinning at them, and then leaning to one side to look beyond them. “M’teo, Savante. Have a seat and join us?”
“I’ll go grab some food,” M’teo offered, nudging Savante. “C’mon, Sav, you can be my packmule.”
She snorted. "Thanks so much. Good thing for you, I'm hungry, too."
“Uncle C’jan! Uncle T’ril!” Jayna bounced out of her seat and launched herself at the two men. “What’s a family forest?”
“Faranth, are they back?” Aerden stopped dead beside the table, and looked around quickly. Reyna wouldn’t have said he was frightened, but she would say he was wary. Beside him, Z’leena arched an eyebrow and shifted the toddler on her hip. “I don’t see them…”
“The Family Forest hasn’t replanted itself yet,” Reyna assured him. “The healers at Sable said to tell you that your office is still open, Weyrhealer,” she added, sliding over so quartet who’d first stopped at her table could sit down.
Aerden snorted. “I am not returning to Sable.”
Reyna grinned and transferred her gaze to the brownrider at his side. “Weyrleader N’shi says he has your rank cords in his pocket, ready to hand back as soon as you land.”
Z’leena’s other eyebrow rose to the same level as the first and, with a faint smile, she silently pointed the StarRise wingsecond cords already on her shoulder. She set Aerleena on the bench beside Jayna, and then pointed the two boys behind her at the same bench. “Sit. I’ll bring your dinner.”
Aerden absently kissed Z’leena’s temple before she left, then turned his attention back to Reyna. “She’s not going back to Sable, either,” he said firmly. He scanned the room again. “The Family Forest really isn’t here?”
“What’s a Family Forest?” Jayna demanded again, looking up from handing Aerleena raw orangeroot to gnaw on.
Aerden chuckled and firmly separated Zalren and Zalden before the two boys’ quiet argument escalated to something louder. “Well, it’s – “
“Oh, tell me they aren’t here!” Kadyra demanded, stopping at the table. “That Korstainje…! Please tell me they’re not here. I swear half my accidents were her fault!” She shuddered dramatically and dropped down on the bench. “Sit, Ildaura,” she added, looking at the greenrider who’d arrived with her. “Please, Reyna – the Dueling Duo were bad enough. But the whole Family Forest together?” She gave another exaggerated shudder.
“Reyna! You’re home!” Alissi descended on the group with no regard to who she interrupted and enveloped Reyna in a hug. "Thank Faranth! We need someone with sense to keep these rogues in line!"
Reyna laughed and returned Alissi’s hug, then shifted over so there was room for her at the table, as well. “It’s a good thing I chose a large table,” she commented dryly.
“Momma, what is a family forest?!” Jayna demanded impatiently.
Reyna cleared her throat and took a sip of her wine. “It’s the genealogy of a particular family, Jayna,” she answered with only a hint of laughter in her tone.
C’jan snorted. “Oh, that’s being vague. That man had some many kids that that he couldn’t be confined to a single tree. Remember when they started showing up out of the woodwork?”
“Weyrwoman Lalytha was hit on by her own brother,” T’ril added, grinning. “He looked like a thundercloud for days after he found out.”
“Faranth, remember when D’ven’s kids were born? And then Zalren?” Aerden shook his head. “They took over the infirmary. You couldn’t move without tripping over one of them.”
Jayna was nearly dancing in her seat with curiosity and annoyance in equal parts. Why was no one answering her question? It was an easy one! “Momma-“
“We’ve got food!” M’teo announced as he arrived with several platters lined up his arm. Behind him, Savante carried a stack of plates with eating utensils on top of them. M’teo put the platters down as Savante passed around the plates.
Z’leena followed just behind her, four plates in hand. She set one in front of each of her sons and one in front of Aerden. She sat down beside him, shifted Aerleena into her lap and took away the much gnawed carrot stick. Picking up her spoon, she offered the toddler mashed tuber instead.
“Remember the invasion of the infirmary when you had Zalren?” Aerden asked her.
“They were helpful before that,” Z’leena pointed out.
“Mm-hmm.” Aerden sliced his roast wherry. “They hit on you the entire time.”
Z’leena shrugged and cut her baked fish into tiny pieces. She offered on to Aerleena, who eagerly reached for it. The look she slid towards Aerden, however, could only have been described as amused.
“Remember the brawl in the Dragons Eye?” C’jan said.
“Or the fight with the crew from that ship at dock – what was it called again?”
“What about the time when…”
Reyna let the words flow around her around as she ate her dinner. Jayna, she could see, was getting more and more frustrated, but it would do the child good to learn that all answers weren’t available simply because she demanded them. And it was fun to watch her frustration build. Eventually, definitely before the meal was over, Jayna would have her answer.
“And what about the auction?” Alissi’s grin was pure evil as she looked at Reyna. “And you thought you were safe.”
“I should have been,” Reyna retorted. “I was the auctioneer. Whoever heard of selling off the auctioneer?”
“All for a good cause, Reyna love,” T’ril said airily. “It’s not like you didn’t get anything out of it.”
C’jan snorted. “The look on J’ser’s face when you told him – “
“The look on J’ren’s face when she called him grandpa!”
Jayna’s dark brows snapped down. Her full lips tensed and turned down as she heard the laughter directed at her father and grandfather. She didn’t really know either well. It had been five turns since she’d seen either. Reyna had always been careful to honest with her daughter about her father and grandfather, but that honesty had also been carefully tailored. Only now did Reyna remember that she’d never referred to J’ser as one of the Dueling Duo to her daughter, or to that side of the child’s family as the Family Forest.
“And you, dear Reyna, had the honor of being the next generation of the Family Forest!” Alissi teased, looking over at Jayna.
An odd expression flashed over Jayna’s face, and then a look that Reyna knew well. Jayna was a good child, usually. But she had a wicked sense of humor and a thirst for vengeance that left Reyna simply bemused. Jayna had just figured out that Reyna had been intentionally avoiding her answer, and that the answer involved her father and grandfather. And now she was going to get even.
Faranth help them. Jayna was an honest heir to the theater crafters of their family.
“Stop it! Stop it!" Jayna suddenly shrieked at the top of her lungs, her face turning red and her eyes welling with tears. “You’re mean! All of you! My daddy is not a tree!”
Dead silence fell and Jayna collapsed into hysterical sobs, her head buried in her arms. The adults stared at her with wide eyes, and then Z’leena looked straight at Reyna. “That’s very good. Have you been fostering her with your family?”
“There’s no need to,” Reyna sighed. “Her acting talents are completely natural.”
Jayna started to wail louder, but the cries immediately transformed to giggles, then shrieks of laughter, and StarRise’s most intimidating brownrider proceeded to tickle the girl out of her feigned hysterics.
END
Editing Requested: Light
