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Post by shadowreine on Jan 10, 2012 20:20:34 GMT -5
"Depends. On how drunk everyone gets. 'Course, you guys have Turnover too, albeit at a slightly different time. And it also involves getting drunk."
Humans would, he had realized, use any possible excuse to imbibe alcohol in considerable quantities, and often had to use self discipline to resist at times when doing so would be a bad idea.
"Alcohol causes a lot of fun and a lot of problems, I've found." Of course, Earth alcohols were different. Except for wine. Wine seemed to be universal.
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Post by FaizahPandora on Jan 11, 2012 16:23:13 GMT -5
Nakia laughed. "New Years?" She asked. "My mom used to have huge New Years parties, and everyone would get drunk. Faizah never let us sneak any from mom when she was passed out, though..." Nakia sounded more than a little bitter at her older sister.
She shrugged as S'tor mentioned alcohol causing problems. "It can." She admitted. "But I prefer the fun, even if there is a little drama afterwards." She smiled slightly, remembering the several fun nights she had had at the expanse of vodka and tequila.
((sorry for bleh post...))
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Post by shadowreine on Jan 11, 2012 23:32:04 GMT -5
S'tor grinned. "Yeah, but it can also result in babies. Assuming the guy isn't *too* drunk, that is." For women, it didn't really matter, and it wasn't unknown to see a mini-baby-boom nine months or so after Turnover.
'Course, at Weyrs, there were also those following goldflights, which tended to result in enhanced...activity. Sometimes not even just those actually involved in the flight.
"Faizah seems to be very...precise. I suppose that's why she's Weyrwoman even though she really shouldn't be...her dragon *is* the wrong color, after all. Or is it that the Earth people interfered?"
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Post by FaizahPandora on Jan 13, 2012 8:32:04 GMT -5
Nakia shrugged. "My sister is very precise, and OCD about details and paperwork. She has a level head too. I guess that's why the military put her in control. They could have cared less about Surth's color. Techinically, Isath and I should be Weyrwoman. Isath is part gold, and she was the first gold to rise..." Nakia spat the last part out with venom in her voice.
Nakia tried to shrug, but talking about Faizah as Weyrwoman had put her in a bad mood. She didn't even feel like talking about Turnovers and parties anymore.
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Post by shadowreine on Jan 13, 2012 19:18:44 GMT -5
S'tor had forgotten that Nakia's dragon was one of the chimeras. Had he remembered that little detail, likely none of this would have happened.
"So, it IS the Earth people. They don't understand the way things are supposed to be, then. I don't know what we can do about that..."
Other than show them, of course...but the ones who came here? They were mostly rider wannabes, Candidates chosen carefully from the population for dragon sensitivity and, likely, discretion.
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Post by FaizahPandora on Jan 14, 2012 11:43:20 GMT -5
Nakia arched an eyebrow. "You're put off that Isath isn't a full green...?" She asked cautiously. She knew a few riders that had a grudge against the Chimeras, for some reason or another. She just didn't believe S'tor would be one of them.
The conversation kept moving, temporarily drawing Nakia's attention away from S'tor's reaction to Isath being a Chimera. "Yes. It's us Earth people. And you're right. I don't think there is anything we can do to change it."
Faizah was trying to, though. And Nakia knew that. Faizah was trying to find a gold weyrling to train as Weyrwoman, but she apparently hadn't found one yet...
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Post by shadowreine on Jan 14, 2012 17:00:59 GMT -5
"I..." A pause. "Don't like things that break with tradition. But I admit I'm more worried about the number of fertile greens we have here. This world can't afford to get overrun with dragons any more than Pern could."
Of course, they couldn't give Crucith firestone any more than they could let it anywhere near Ryath, for example. Which did make things distinctly...difficult. Isath?
"I just..." It was her dragon and she had his child, which kept him from saying any blunt comments about freaks. Likely not from thinking them, though.
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Post by FaizahPandora on Jan 14, 2012 17:09:03 GMT -5
"There are many fertile greens around here. My sister has a theory about the greens and even golds becoming less fertile. I don't know the whole thing, but I have heard her mention it." Nakia thought.
Nakia could honestly care less if Isath laid another clutch. One was fine with her. But the flights... Nakia hoped those wouldn't stop. The flights were the most fun part of being a rider of a partial green. She grinned at the thought.
Nakia glared at him. "Finish your sentence, if you wouldn't mind." She said. She had heard the distinctive tone meaning that he had left off mid-sentence.
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Post by shadowreine on Jan 15, 2012 14:23:07 GMT -5
"There's no Thread here, so it would make sense for them to start to produce smaller clutches once they realize that, just as queens produce fewer eggs during a pass."
"And I don't like what's happening to our dragons. If it wasn't happening, me and Ryath wouldn't be exiles. He'd be an ordinary, healthy dragon flying Thread...and the wings wouldn't be depleted." Sure, the chimeras could fly fine, but they were obviously a symptom of whatever was affecting dragonkind.
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Post by FaizahPandora on Jan 15, 2012 17:58:03 GMT -5
Nakia was tired and bored of talking about clutches and Thread and fertile female dragons. So she chose not to comment about fertile and clutching greens.
She nodded in understanding. "I would rather be back on Pern as well. There I was free of my sister's clutches, at least. and the wings certainly can't be that depleted... Rocky has Pernese Candidates coming to every hatching. And almost all of them return with healthy dragonets..." She gave S'tor a confused look.
At that moment a knock sounded at the door.
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Post by shadowreine on Jan 16, 2012 16:42:16 GMT -5
"Every unhealthy dragon is one that's..." he started. Then he glanced at Nakia. Sighed.
"Come on in," he called. Surely, he didn't need to finish the sentence. Perhaps he was simply selfish about his own exile, but Pern *would* be better off without whatever was causing dragons to hatch with physical and mental problems, even if the chimeras were still mostly useful.
And most of the Earth-born Candidates here did not take their dragons to Pern...more should, in his mind, but he could not help but understand. After all, he was an exile himself.
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Post by FaizahPandora on Jan 16, 2012 17:23:42 GMT -5
The doctor peeked into the room, fearing Nakia's wrath. Faizah was behind him, getting impatient. She pushed the doctor into the room, sighing as he jumped.
"The doctor needs to get some blood tests, Nakia. Make sure you're healthy as you can be. And an ultrasound next week, to make sure the baby is doing fine." Faizah said, glaring at the doctor as he just nodded. This was his job, so why was she doing this...?
Nakia sighed in aggravation before nodding. "Fine. Just don't let me see the needle..." She looked at S'tor, wondering for a moment how far he wanted to take this fathering thing. She decided to ask. "Do you suppose you would come to the ultrasound? Or no? Can't be very interesting this early..." She said in a light voice.
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Post by shadowreine on Jan 17, 2012 19:55:58 GMT -5
"Ultrasound...wait, they can kinda peek at the baby?" He wondered ab out that.
"I admit...I'm curious." He had even heard rumors they could tell whether the baby was a boy or a girl, or whether a woman was carrying twins.
Faranth forbid...one child at a time was enough! He pushed the very thought of twins out of his mind.
Besides, twin pregnancies could be dangerous. She might ride a chimera, but she was dang good in bed and he had to admit he rather liked her...
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Post by FaizahPandora on Jan 18, 2012 17:55:07 GMT -5
((-laughing hysterically- Oh, S'tor! You are going to make Nakia's life interesting.))
Nakia laughed slightly. "I keep forgetting about Pernese not knowing about ultrasounds." She explained, sharing a laugh with Faizah. Faizah just stood in the doorway and smiled. Nakia looked back at S'tor. "Yes. I'm not quite sure how it works, and don't care to know, but ultrasounds allow people to see the baby. They can guess how far along the baby is, if it's healthy, how many, boy or girl... The possibilities are endless."
Faizah nodded, along with the doctor. The doctor had moved to the side and was getting ready to take some blood tests. Nakia focused solely on S'tor, not wanting to see the needle. She would freak out if she did...
Faizah spoke up. "At this early time, finding out whether its a boy or girl is out of the question. But we can see how far along it is, if it's generally healthy, and if there is more than one baby. That's about all." She explained.
Faizah didn't glance over at S'tor. She was focused on the doctor, who had finally stuck Nakia and was drawing blood. She was contemplating to herself why she was the only Pandora that inheritated the blood disorder that plagued her.
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Post by shadowreine on Jan 18, 2012 23:25:02 GMT -5
S'tor nodded. "The dolphins can tell whether there's more than one, but I don't think they can predict gender, and it's a long trip if you don't happen to live near the coast."
As pregnant women were advised to avoid Between...and women who might *be* pregnant... "I guess it's the same thing, though. But knowing early if it's healthy's a good idea." Early enough that if it was horribly deformed, she *could* decide to Between it.
He knew that sometimes babies just, for whatever reason, didn't come out right. But that was rare...most likely it would be healthy. "I suppose there's one advantage to knowing the gender sooner...you don't have to think of two names."
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Post by FaizahPandora on Jan 19, 2012 8:05:54 GMT -5
Nakia laughed again. "Sometimes its best to still think of two names. Ultrasounds are not completely accurate. Yet..." She flexed her arm a bit, glad that they doctor was done drawing blood.
Faizah nodded in thanks to the doctor. She was trying to find out what all else would be needed before they left the Infirmiry. Vitamins? That couldn't hurt Nakia, much less the baby... "Is there any chance we can get Nakia some prenatals?" She asked.
Nakia shot a glare at Faizah. She didn't want to be popping pills for nine months...
((Sorry for my cruddy post...))
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Post by shadowreine on Jan 19, 2012 18:20:06 GMT -5
S'tor thought, for a moment, of supporting her. He didn't know what the heck prenatals were. "Well, we can discuss names later, anyway."
Of course... "Of course, we have different naming traditions." As S'tor had no surname, but all the Earthers did, he supposed the kid would have its mother's last name. No big deal...he'd never felt the need for one and the kid might not either.
"Eh. We can sort that out, right?" He didn't even know if Nakia knew they were supposed to blend their names. And she was the mother, she got the final say on names.
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Post by FaizahPandora on Jan 19, 2012 18:35:16 GMT -5
The doctor looked at Nakia. "At this early stage, as long as she is keeping food down, she doesn't need the prenatals. Once she hits three months along, then yes." The doctor explained.
Faizah nodded, watching Nakia grin a little. She hated taking pills, even vitamins, as much as Faizah did. Which seemed to be a thing all the Pandoras disliked...
Nakia looked at S'tor as he began to talk about names. Then she pointed at Faizah. "You can talk names with her. She is going to be the one raising it..."
Faizah sighed. She glanced at S'tor before she spoke. "I suppose Pernese naming tradition would make you feel better. But the surname is a must. Do you have any problem with the child having a surname?" She asked politely. She didn't want to make him angry, but her voice did hold a little bit of impatience. She was exhausted...
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Post by shadowreine on Jan 20, 2012 19:45:37 GMT -5
S'tor shook his head. "I don't...although I don't have one, so it will have to have yours." On Pern, most people didn't. On Earth *everyone* did. Which implied that it might somehow disadvantage the child to have one if it decided to stay on Earth.
So, there was no sense arguing with it. On the first name, though...well. It could wait until they knew the child's gender.
As for the vitamins? He wasn't asking on those. Earth people were so...strange.
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Post by FaizahPandora on Jan 20, 2012 20:17:47 GMT -5
Faizah nodded. "I will leave the name blending to you, however. I have no skill in the area. And as long as I can pronounce the child's name, it doesn't matter." Faizah continued. She then fell silent.
Nakia looked between Faizah and S'tor. She knew S'tor's dislike of Faizah, which would make having this child interesting. She wondered how they would get along once the child was born... She giggled a little bit. It would only prove to be interesting.
The doctor walked out of the room again, the vials of blood in his hands. He mentioned something about the results taking an hour before he closed the door. Nakia wondered if Faizah would make them wait in here until the results came in...?
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Post by shadowreine on Jan 21, 2012 13:01:13 GMT -5
S'tor nodded. "Normally the mother chooses, but I can do it if you don't want to."
He HAD to get on with Faizah now. He had to deal with her and her freakish dragon. But why was she so keen to...
...was the Weyrwoman *barren*? That would explain why she was so determined to take this child. Women who found they could not have children would often seek to foster and fostering a child of one's own sister really was the next best thing to having your own. It would explain it, that was for sure.
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Post by FaizahPandora on Jan 23, 2012 8:00:06 GMT -5
Faizah nodded. "It would be better if you did. As I said before, I have no skill in the area." Faizah glanced over at S'tor for a moment. There was the shadow of a strange look on his face. She was curious, but she didn't dare ask. Faizah didn't want to rile the man's anger... Nakia wasn't so tactical. "What's with that face, S'tor?" She asked bluntly, her head cocked to the side. ((Sorry for short post  )) |
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Post by shadowreine on Jan 23, 2012 17:56:52 GMT -5
"Nothing. I'm just thinking." He made enough of a pause, he hoped, for that not to come over as some quick, dismissive answer.
It wasn't, after all, a polite question to ask of the woman. You just didn't ask *any* woman if she could have children. Rude.
"I'll do it...but not right away. I definitely need to think about names." He let out a breath. "Hopefully there's only one in there." Twins were hard on a woman, after all. Really, humans weren't 'supposed' to have twins, from what he could tell.
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Post by FaizahPandora on Jan 23, 2012 21:26:27 GMT -5
Faizah sighed. She knew that S'tor was thinking about something. She just decided she didn't want to know about it...
Nakia seemed to think the same thing. She shook her head at S'tor.
((I think we have milked this thread for all its worth...))
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