Very Large Weyr -- Starmount(#3515RA)
A hollow sphere, a bubble in the volcanic rock, this converted storage cavern is a little over two and a half dragonlengths across, enough to accomodate a gold at full length. A wooden stairway leads up a spiralling set of supports. It leads to a small platform before a much smaller bubble of about half a dragonlength in diameter a bit over halfway up the main weyr wall.
The primary weyr's cupping floor holds a dragon-sized pile of blankets at one side, a little to the right and opposite the queen-sized tunnel leading back out to the bowl. A little way to the left of the tunnel, a hearth has been constructed and edged in flagstone, taking advantage of natural flues in the hole-riddled volcanic stone of the Weyr bowl wall. Its radiant warmth heats the small cavern from the floor up, although the greatest part of the heat gathers in the higher areas, especially the secondary bedroom 'bubble.' (+views)

Tamial's tucked up at the table not far from the fire, Tassle across from her bent over a hide with a stylus in hand. Tami has her chin pillowed in a hand, and is evidently watching his work upside-down. It's been a while since the boy arrived; he's looking older than perhaps the last time you met him, his touseled, curly black hair uncut and spilling back over his shoulders, his southern tan faded over time. He's a bit over seven turns, now, and looks about it.

Deinha didn't give any warning before appearing, so she does at least do her best to make her steps loud, not pausing long on entry before she calls a bright, "Tamial?" And, quickly spying Tassle as well, the younger woman's smile widens to a full grin, "Oh, hullo to you, too, Tassle." Making her way to the table to join you both, Deinha asks, tone light, "And what're we up to, today?" Yet, despite the easy words, there's something a little fidgety about the way she stands, a hint of shadow in the normally clear blue eyes as she looks down at the hide.

Firelizards, on the other hand, do tend to chirp. But Tami and Tassle are used enough to people coming in and out that the warning of the chattering ones doesn't disturb them. Voice, on the other hand-- Tamial glances up and around over her shoulder, and brightens into a smile. "Dei," she says, gesturing a welcome and come-here. "Faranth, what brings you out in the cold?" "Hullo," Tassle chimes in, cheerful enough in his serious way to take advantage of a distraction from studying. "Writing," he adds, putting a hand over the hide in a young boy's shy way. "Just learning."

Deinha laughs softly in response to the question, cheeks tinged red from said cold, and shakes her head, ruefully offering, "I couldn't say, exactly. I guess I just... wanted to talk." She shifts her gaze politely from Tassle's work in response to the motion, smile softening just a moment, and answers soberly, "Good thing, too, you know. It's very important to learn all that you can." Fingers curled into the ends of her jacket sleeves -- she apparently didn't bother with gloves, Deinha fidgets again for a moment, then abruptly offers, "Perhaps I should come by when you two aren't working, then?" Translate: when you're alone?

Tamial gets the hint, though it takes a moment's considering. "No, I think we're done," she says, which gets Tassle's surprised attention. "But--" "I need to speak with the weyrwoman," Tami explains to him, and he hushes up with a nod and starts gathering up his hides, looking less than upset. "No, it's all right," she adds toward you. "I don't think it's a good day for studies, anyway."

Hesitation lingers for a space, especially as Deinha watches Tassle's reaction. But, as that becomes more evident, she seems to relax a pace, even teasing, "Is it ever, when you're very young?" Nevermind that Deinha always liked to study. And, manners belatedly returning, "Thank you for letting me talk to Ta-your mommy, Tassle." Those things settled, she starts unbuttoning her jacket slowly -- it makes a nice stall.

"Sure," Tassle says, his usual, rather brisk and solemn self. But he gives Deinha a quick smile before trotting out. "Tass!" Tamial calls after, gives him a pointed look when he turns around. The boy sighs roughly and stops to pull on his jacket before escaping. "Children," the woman says with a shake of her head, and gestures across the table. "Have a seat, Dei. What's the matter?"

Deinha was content just to take her time about it, with the jacket removing and all, but .. it wouldn't do to ignore a question. Still, Dei does take the time to sit down, hugging the jacket to her chest, before she actually answers. "Oh, well.. I don't know, exactly. I've just been feeling so... /odd/, lately." She tilts her head a little to the side, gaze unfocusing slightly, as she grasps some clearer description, and finally settles on: "Just .. tired, a lot. But then, I haven't been sleeping well, what with worrying over ..Puo, and all." Here, she blushes just a tad -- but she also smiles. "We're back to being ..." Deinha laughs, suddenly, and shrugs, "To being whatever you'd call us, at any rate, before the whole, err, Flight problem." There goes the smile. Poor Dei. "Anyway, so I thought maybe it was just ... you know, the stress over that. I'm not good with conflict, really. And then, of course, we've had all these curiously sick dragons... I guess it could be /that/ making me even more 'down' these past ...however long. But..." Dei pauses again, grip relaxing on the jacket as she methodically stretches it out in her lap and folds it like a (bulky) shirt -- stalling again. "I don't see how that could be making me so ..." She spreads her hands, palm up, in surrender. Deinha just can't seem to describe whatever's troubling her, but she does rush to add, "I mean, it's really been affecting me. I can't sleep for long periods of time, not that well, but I always feel like taking little naps. And, well," guilt chases over her features, and something of chagrin, "I think I must've been eating away some of my upset, too. I'm getting .. not plump, precisely, but ..." Another frustrated shrug, and she finally quiets. "I just don't see why I'm /still/ feeling like this, now that Puo and I aren't ...so tense."

[Starmount] TamiKhav: Dei... that's gotta be a record.

Tamial listens silently all through, chin settled back into a hand. Her brows furrow at several points with concern, and she starts nodding a little near the end. "I'm glad you and Puo are getting along all right," she says finally, sitting back to fold her arms on the tabletop. Evidently 'subtle' isn't in the cards today, because she asks, "Are you sleeping together?"

Deinha's answer is fairly immediate, this time: "Oh, ah, no." She blushes. "I mean, I guess, really, I don't know, but... we only just got back ..together." A hint of question on the 'together' notion, even so. After a faint pause -- just long enough for her cheeks to turn a rather more ... vivid shade of red -- Deinha admits, "We did - once - before. But then that was ..different. And we didn't again, after, but it wasn't because either of us was mad, so...I don't know." Only then, as if the thought's just dawned upon her, does Deinha glance over to you, expression markedly curious, "But ... why do you ask that?"

"Nosy," Tamial answers with a smile that's not altogether sly enough to be the entire truth. She shifts, re-propping her chin. "It just sounds like a familiar kind of illness, and I'm trying to decide if it's what it might be. It could be a cold," she adds. "You -are- from Icevale, and it's warmer there. The change might throw you off."

Deinha just smiles a little in return -- not appearing too put off by that. A frown follows, though -- the common, thoughtful kind, as Dei considers, then shakes her head, "No, I don't think that would be it. I've been here longer than that, for one, but mainly just.. aside from a bit of ..queasiness .. for a while there, I haven't been sniffing or sneezing, coughing... nothing like that." Deinha drums her fingers nervously against her leg, sighing, "I /hate/ not knowing. I'm thinking I should drop by the healers, but then.. I don't want to waste their time if it's nothing. Like I said, I'm /not/ actually having problems with a runny nose, or a temperature, or..." She trails off again, head shaking.

"What I wouldn't give for a dolphin," Tamial murmurs, frowns, and sighs. "It might be a good idea," she says after a long pause, studying you with a peculiar expression. "You haven't been between much lately, have you? Between could make a cold into someting worse."

"Hmm?" comes Dei's distracted query, at the first. And then..."Between? No, not really. I've mostly been working on stuff around here, you know. This and that." She pauses. "In fact, I ... well, I guess I /really/ haven't been away much. Maybe that would help -- go someplace warm and sunny...Except that I rather like it /here/, and I could hardly just run off and leave things, anyway."

Tamial rubs a hand over her face, studying the table. Then she sighs muffledly again. "Dei--" She pauses. "Have you bled?"

Deinha snaps to attention at that, back straightening and gaze narrowing. It's hard for her to remember that you're not trying to be rude, but... "What's that--" She cuts off her own question, skin paling suddenly as she finds her own answer. "You think I ..?" Next: a quick shaking of her head, and a soft, "Well, no, I haven't, but.. I'm.. I've never been.." Clearing her throat uncomfortably, the young woman finally manages, "..regular." Her fingers tighten unconsciously on the jacket still resting in her lap. Again, she clears her throat, voice strained all the same as she finishes the earlier question, "You don't really think I could be...?" Well, so she doesn't complete it, still. She does get farther along in the asking of it.

"You tell me," Tamial says gently, her smile turning wry and a little sympathetic. "I know it's a shock. It was for me, when Tassle came along. I think you'd better not be betweening until you have a Healer look at you, anyway. If...." She trails off, glancing down at the table for a moment. "If it turns out that you -are- pregnant, Dei, a hop between would fix it."

Shock? That's the least of it, as Deinha swallows several times, processing this sudden possibility. "I just don't know," comes the soft moan. Then, "I ..oh, no, I guess that wouldn't be very..." Organizing scattered thoughts, Dei none-the-less manages a quick, almost /more/ surprised, "Oh, but I couldn't do that," at the last part. Couldn't she? Needlessly, perhaps, she points out, "You didn't."

"No, I didn't," Tamial agrees. "I hated betweening more than I disliked being pregnant -- and by the time I realized what was going on for sure, it was unsafe. I think it's still possible for you. But it's up to you, Dei."

Deinha frowns, still, at that, but does give a subtle nod of head -- she may not /want/ to think about it, but now she probably will. ... Later. As for now, the young woman merely moves, starts to stand, then pauses abruptly, expression guilty yet again, "Oh... I didn't even /ask/ how you're doing, Tamial." She laughs, but without much humor -- it's her (in)famous nervous giggle, at its best, and murmurs, "I was just going to drop in, ramble about my, er, problem, and run off to do as you suggested. All with hardly a 'hello' squeezed in for you."

"Well, I'm not pregnant," Tamial offers with a wry smile, and adds, glancing away toward the fire, "Not yet, anyway. I'm fine, Dei. I miss Z'ina, though." Then she blinks and looks back, expression surprised in a funny way-- like she didn't mean to say that.

Deinha catches each word -- even if it's only because she's now making a conscious effort to do so, she /is/ now listening attentively. The 'not yet' gets a decidedly curious look, and a raising of brows, but she doesn't ask about it just yet. The final statement, which might not seem so strange normally, gains extra attention for the look which follows. Leaning back a little, gaze steady and just a bit on the appraising side, she prompts, "It's natural to miss someone you've been weyrmates with for a long time, I'm sure." A pause, as Deinha files through her memory, then: "Um. Where /is/ she?"

Tamial shifts, running fingertips over the table without quite looking at you for a moment. "She's at Azov, visiting her kids." Which doesn't really explain much of anything, does it?

Hardly satisfied with that brief response, Deinha waits only a moment before asking, tone gentle, "And...when will she get back?" If she were a more demonstrative sort, there might be a 'dear' attached at the end; all the same, there /is/ a certain warmth and concern, overriding and softening plain inquisitiveness, just in the more varied qualities of her voice.

"I don't know." Another brief answer, and Tamial's not looking up now. "She didn't really say."

Deinha licks her lips. The pause between answer and question lengthens this time, as Deinha gropes for tact. Then, simply: "I don't know what to say.. Was she .. was she upset when she left? Did the father -- a father? -- send for her, or her kids, or did she just .. go?"

"She said she was visiting the children," Tamial says finally, resting her chin in her hand and tracing patterns on the tabletop. "I... I think she may have thought Cam and I don't love her as much as we love each other. I hope she doesn't think that. But I-- I don't know."