Cuddles and Hard Conversations

Western Weyr - Hearth Nook
This smaller room is separated off the main living cavern. The focal point is a big stone hearth, which always has a couple pots of stew and klah bubbling over it. Thick carpet lines the entire space and the room is has several cushy chairs and sofas spread around. There are no electric lights here, only glow baskets to keep the cozy effect.


It is late evening around the Weyr, lessons done with the Weyrlings which hopefully are tucked in for the night which leaves the Weyrling Staf some few moments for themselves if possible. Sundari is on her own at the moment in the one spot where it is quiet at the moment, her firelizard's will be staying with her children when she can't be. She is sitting off at one of the sofas holding onto a mug of klah while just eyeing the hearth that at the moment has no fire within it. She has plenty of things on her mind at the moment, lessons the weyrlings, her children and of course her insane family that is starting to creep back from the jungle like some bad dream. People could be coming and going but she doesn't even given anyone a mere glance.

One of those people coming (but not going) is Ila'den, who is looking for a quiet(er) retreat than the Living Caverns offers without being completely void of life. It's for this reason that he's quite suddenly there, joining Sundari despite her internal reverie that keeps her at seemingly constant inattention. Ila'den moves around her with that wraith-like silence, and then settles onto the sofa beside her without touching her. Grey eyes study the bluerider for a long, quiet moment, and then he murmurs, "You should be more aware of your surroundings, Sundari." /He/, for one, has been intently scanning every face that's remotely unfamiliar without any semblance of friendliness. He certainly can't read minds, but he can be intimidating when he wants to be (OR ALL THE TIME WHATEVER). And then, softly: "All right?" He's not asking her to confirm she understands; Ila'den is asking her if she's okay.

Sundari is quiet even as he sits down next to her, a slight tilt of her head seen and a faint glance is sent his way to watch him a moment. She's tired, she looks tired she could use sleep but it is not an easy thing for her lately. "I'm ok." Is offered after a moment. Her mug lifts and she takes a sip from it as her gaze drifts back to the empty fireplace to watch it once more expecting something to come from it perhaps. A tired sigh escapes her free hand lifting to rub at her eyes. "No one will bother me. I'm not what they want." As far as she knows at least.

The tilt of Sundari's head is returned by a tilt of his own, and then Ila'den shifts backwards; this effectively puts more space between himself and the pregnant woman despite the fact that there's /really/ no reason for it. "You hope," he amends for her, and while there's a slight hint of reproach in his voice, it's far from unfriendly. "You aren't the only one you need to be worried about." The last is said softly, with a pointed look for her stomach, before he rubs at the bridge of his nose and allows a sigh to escape. Ila isn't sure what to say really, given their last interaction involved sex and threats, while the one before /that/ had been fueled with anger. So, the man opts for silence, letting booted feet sprawl before him while grey eyes cautiously take not of every face that filters through the room. Perhaps he is being more protective of Sunny than he's letting on.

Sundari is quite at the while glancing to her now empty mug for a few moments and just sets it to the side. "I know…" Is said softly. Tone worried filled even with those two simple words. Funny how things happen with them lately, fighting, love making, all roled into one big crazy life as it were. There is a moment there she is quiet once more before she actually shifts not given him the choice as she leans closer to him and to the point she goes so far to let her her rest against his arm. IF he is going to stay his ging to be useful, sorta. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this." If he wasn't there he would have never known about that letter, an she would have not told him.

"Then be more aware," Ila'den tells her, tone gentle but firm. He may not have been her favorite person these last few weeks, but she's certainly not been nudged from the space she occupies in him. And so, those grey eyes regard her with subdued affection when she closes the distance and rests against his arm. Instead of allowing her to rest in an assuredly uncomfortable position, he lifts his arm and allows her to fall back against his chest instead. It might not be /much/ in the way of comfort, since Ila'den is pure muscle which equates to a hard rather than supple body, but it's /definitely/ going to be more cozy than just trying to meld against his arm. He doesn't bring the arm he lifts around her, but rather allows it to rest along the back of the sofa they're occupying as he allows another sigh to escape him. "Sunny," he begins, and his tone takes on an agitated sort of gruffness. "I didn't get /dragged/ into anything. I could ignore it. I chose not to." Because she is important. Because her and D'nyl's children are important. Because maybe, just /maybe/, he has some things that he wants to protect too, and his gut tells him that there's so much more going on than what is being presented on the surface; these are renegades, after all. He knows their type well. "Have you and D'nyl decided what you're going to do?"

Sundari has been upset with Ila'den more then a few times, mad oh ye, pissed off yep but she still cares about the man an was the only reason she was that nagging thorn in his side trying to get to him and help which in turn caused nothing but more trouble. "I will." I soon said and she shifts just a bit as she leans against his chest now. "You don't make the best pillow…" Is murmured softly, jokingly. About all she can manage at the moment, but notice she is not moving. As for the rest she is quiet, a slight nod is seen while her eyes half close, taking the moment to just relax with someone else around at the moment. He does have a good point there, he could choose to ignore it after all, though in all honesty she is glad he did not. "We've… Talked about it. We're trying to figure it out." There is a pause. "This isn't how it happened before, Spence took Sarina, sent a note only for me. Threated if anyone else came he would kill her." She of course believed it.

When Sundari informs Ila'den that he is lacking in the pillow department, the bronzerider chuckles low and husky, giving her a slight nudge. "And you don't make the best blanket, little bird." Ila'den shifts his hand on the back of the couch, angling himself to be able to run calloused fingers through Sunny's hair in an effort to help her simply relax. But they're back on the topic of renegades, with Ila'den silently absorbing what information she is willing to give. There's a low hum in his throat, a thoughtful nose, and then he's saying, "Start from the beginning, honey. I have no idea who Spence is." Or how the rescue went down, for that matter; Ila'den was in a dark place when this took place. Otherwise, he would have been there leading the damn charge alongside D'nyl to get her daughter back.

"D'nyl doesn't complain." Sundari offers with an amused tone at the blanket bit. Yep she went there. Well they are sort of at that point that they can totally joke like this right? Well perhaps not! As for the question as to who Spence is she is quiet and lets her cheek press a bit more against his chest. "Spence was my brother." She let's that linger for a moment before going on. "I had no idea what happened to my family found the ship torn apart upon some rocks, not sure if it was from a storm or an explosion or some sort. I never found them, I thought they had died, my brother's ship was gone no word just nothing." A soft sigh escapes her. "Darryl was born, Sarina was taken and I got a note that night saying if I wanted her back I was to come alone and tell no one else."

Ila'den chuckles again, hushed. "I'm sure you make quite the blanket for D'nyl." Sexual overtones aside, Ila'den blatantly dodges around them. When Sundari's cheek presses against his chest, Ila'den's hand moves from her hair to the back of her neck, rubbing with a gentle kind of firmness in order to work away any knots that might be ailing her. She /is/ stressed out after all, and Ila'den is /no/ stranger to what that particular emotion does to one's body. Still, Ila is silent when she brings more of her life to light, tucking it away in the dark recesses of his mind in the event that he needs them for further use, and then making another soft sound in his throat - sympathy, perhaps? "And did you listen?" he inquires, but the way he asks is /gentle/. There's no reprimand, no judgement, no disbelief; perhaps he knows all too well about what it means to lose something important and blindly follow instructions to get them back.

Sundari only tossed around those sexual overtones to hide the fact that she was trying to ignore where the conversation was going, a topic that has always and will always bother her to no end. She is tense, and his touch actually makes her tense up a moment more so until she makes herself relax there and takes in a faint breath. He should know the answer, his seen her scars. "He had my daughter, of course I went. I didn't tell D'nyl… I refused to allow Irkevalath to tell anyone." Which her blue may be a blunder in many things but he is her's and would do anything for her. "I… I don't know how long I was here. They kept Irkevalath drugged, and if he moved they hurt him." There are reasons he is just as scared up as she is. She won't go into what they did to her. "At some point Irk was able to finally get word to Czaiath… D'nyl came with Aerza, Cass and a few others."

No judgement! Ila'den is just, well we all know he's got an /odd/ sense of loyalty - and a lot of that bleeds into his sex life. Sundari is /not/ his, she is D'nyl's, and Ila'den is appropriately respectful of that fact despite the fact that Weyr life is a far cry from renegade debauchery, /and/ they're dragonriders. When Sundari stiffens, Ila'den stills, allowing her to decide if she would rather stay or go; she stays, and his ministrations continue while he listens to her speak. There's a sigh that escapes him only after she's finished, and there's a soft, "I hope you know, in the future, that they are /liars/. And if you are unlucky enough to stumble upon the sadistic few that mean it - trust me, Sundari. Death would be the kinder mercy." He knows. He has seen a lot of horrible things, and was mentored by a cannibalistic necrophiliac who was manipulative enough to make his baby sister believe that she /wanted/ to be raped by him. THIS IS HIS LIFE. But, still, he gently presses for more information; it is not his /usual/ course of action, prying, but this is beyond merely respecting boundaries. "So they came, and what? Happily ever after?"

"He was my brother Ila'den, up until that point in my life I had not known anything like that. What was I suppose to think?" Sundari questions softly. "My family lived on a ship my whole life until I cam here and then. I stayed and they kept on with that life." Which honestly now that she thinks back on it was a bit strange as she stayed even before impressing Irk. "D'nyl killed Spence and a few others died, some escaped. Irk and I got carried out of there. Sarina wasn't harmed at least. I'm surpried S'rorn still let's me near her after that." She's quiet for a few moments her eyes opening as she looks off. "I was worried if the twins were D'nyl's for a time…" She bites her lip a moment after that and slowly shifts away from Ila'den. Her hand moving to her eyes to rub at them. "It has been six turns, nothing from them. Not a peep… We knew they was still out there but we have no idea why they picked now to come back."

What was she supposed to think? The dark look that crosses Ila'den's features speaks levels: she should have thought a /lot/. Instead of berating her, there's an amicably gentle, "I always made sure that Kiltara knew this: regardless of what they threaten, be it that they're going to hurt your family or hurt you, you scream, and you fight like /hell/. Chances are, if you make enough noise, you'll scare them off." There's a pause here, a simple beat before Ila'den continues with, "And that goes double if they take somebody you love. Never go alone. They've either already killed them, or you're going to wish you were /both/ dead." Sundari clearly learned that lesson well; it's the only reason that Ila'den can think to explain her constant fear - and Kit's. The fingers at her neck squeeze gently, and then retreat back to her hair, smoothing the strands down with a gentle, constant cadence. He says nothing about the twins, choosing only to speak after she's finished. "I'm sure, in time, we'll figure it out. In the /mean/ time, you really need to be more aware of where you're at and where you're going." Ila'den's free hand moves, to settle on Sundari's stomach without permission. There's something muted and /aching/ in the look he fixates on her growing burden, gone in the instant it takes him to close his eyes and drop his hand. "What did they want the first time?"

Sundari had honestly never run into an issue with someone she would consider 'bad' up until that point in her life. D'nyl and her's relationship was still new she had learn some from him but had not ever expected her brother to be with the renegades. "I know that now. I won't make that mistake again." She offers softly. "The only one's I can trust are the few here that are my family, the rest if they are alive are not family anymore." Which is a big thing for her, family was everything when she was growing up and to have all this happen it bothers her a good amount. "I normally am more aware of what is around me." There is a slight pause a the hand to her stomach and her eyes close tightly at the thought of putting yet another one of her children in danger and her shoulder slump slowly. "Spence was crazed.. He said he was getting back at me for living a life of ease at a Weyr, kept saying that I didn't deserve it… I don't know the full reason why. Half the time we didn't talk. He just wanted to get to me, there was someone else there prodding him into things but I never saw them."

Instead of expanding the lecture, or anything of the sort, Ila'den's response is quite simple when Sundari tells him that she won't make that mistake again: "Thank you." The words are, much like most of their conversation, very soft. But the spell is broken, moving onto the next topic which, again, has Ila'den squeezing her /just/ slightly. "I know you are, baby." DON'T WORRY. That baby was TOTALLY said in the way he says it to Kit and all the other important women in his life. DON'T SIC D'NYL ON HIM. And then /Spence/. Every muscle in Ila'den's body goes taut as she speaks, a tremble of ill suppressed rage sending a shiver down his spine before he schools himself back into control. "Was, Sundari? Is he dead?" The way Ila'den says it makes it sound like the bronzerider is going to /make/ him that way if not; in fact, he's paused all ministrations of affection while he waits, a clear indicator that he may not be as in control of that rage as he would like to believe.

"D'nyl killed him." Sundari offers softly to the bit on her brother Spence. There is no remorse, no sadness there in her voice at the deed done. She shifts again, leaning back into Ila'den and is so using him as a pillow again. Her cheek and shoulder pressing against him while her eyes close. "I have five older siblings Ila'den… Three brothers and two sisters. Randel wrote the letter." One dead, four left she has no idea who is out to get her, or if her parents are involved even. Also she won't sic D'nyl on him over something as simple as 'baby' they are sooo past that! "I told D'nyl I'd wait for him before getting the kids. His finishing some paperwork. Can you stay until his done?"

"Good." This single word spills from Ila'den's lips harshly, riddled with thinly veiled anger and conviction. The world is not at a loss for people like Spence; in fact, the world is /arguably/ better without him. When Sundari cuddles back in close, Ila'den allows her, moving his hand from her hair to rest it on the back of the sofa again. It's her last statement and question that has him leaning in to press a very gentle kiss to the top of her head. "Of course, little bird." And he will, just like this, letting her sleep if she needs. Worry not, pregnant mama! This man is a caged tiger, and he /will/ take out anybody who tries to come for little Sunny - or die trying.

Sundari is not against him in that thought of her dead brother, everyone is better off without him for what happened. She smiles hearing the little bird bit and her eyes have closed. "Thank you Ila'den." Is offered softly, it won't take to long before she is for certain dozing off needing some sleep as she has been running on far too little as of late.


Add a New Comment
Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License