Who Eiram, Sephany
What Eiram finds Sephany, who confirms that the rumor is true.
When Winter - Month 12 of Turn 2714
Where Library Archives, Fort Weyr

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Fort Weyr - Library Archives
Surviving the ages is something that books are known to do, especially if they are left untouched for just as long. In this room, that's exactly what has happened. Put aside as trivial information or simply determined old enough to not impact present day life, these numerous articles stored in ceiling high shelves are the forgotten histories belonging to Fort. Miraculously, the design of the room itself has prevented any of the books from damage. The rock base of which the room's foundation is actually one of the toughest rock known to man and cannot be surpassed by any creature living, while a layer of tiles of the smoothest stone gives this room a vibrant and mysterious appeal. The door itself on the room was sealed tight and allowed for a minimum amount of circulation, thereby preventing natural decay, although most articles may be brittle despite this. White marble has been used to create an insulating layer wall against the natural rock, giving the room an unnatural brightness and a enchanted atmosphere - while also giving it four distinct walls. The ceiling as well has been made smooth with an arching apex. As for the books and mounds of information stored in this vault of information, the organization is clear. Books bound with hard covers are kept alphabetical in the towering skybroom wood shelves, where step ladders and scrolling ladders actually attached to the shelves move to assist a person in selecting a volume. The shelves are ornately carved, many crafted with a mastery none have ever seen. Meanwhile, scrolls have a sectional shelf where each scroll based on how they were itemized has a cubical square into which they are kept in. This shelf alone has over a hundred squares in which the scrolls stick out of. As well, any loose bits of information have been assembled in files that are stored in boxes along the back wall. Apparently, recording history takes up vast amounts of space and every where one looks in this room one would find a wealth of information. The ancestors of Fort live here.


It is another cold morning at the weyr around breakfast time. The weyr sparking with the hum of life as its daily business gets started. For some it started well enough, eating breakfast, writing songs, preparing for another day of chores. Then the world upended for Eiram and it left him searching the halls, the craftroom, even Sephany's quarters before seeking her out in the library. He is almost running as he looks through the rows for Sephany calling out her name with a distressed tone to his voice. There is even some dampness at his eyes.

Hiding. That is what Sephany is doing. Not doing a terribly good job of it, considering the library is one of her known haunts, but regardless. That is where she is, tucked away in a back corner, nestled into a pile of pillows and blankets (one of them even draped over her head, for warmth) reading a book and sipping at something warm. But Eiram's distressed call, of her name no less, has the pale weaver peeking up and drawing her blanket a little closer. There is a pause, perhaps an internal debate as to whether she will respond, but then she does so. "In the back," she calls out, loud enough to be heard, but still quiet enough to try and preserve the sanctity of the library.

Oh yes, Eiram is getting some looks at his plaintive calls, but he ignores them. He keeps calling and is about to give up when he hears the response and races down the aisle to find the source of it. "Tell me you didn't mean it…that Leuka is wrong. You wouldn't leave…" He starts off in a rush of words clearly upset by the news he has heard. "What did he do? I am sure he didn't mean anything by it…please stay!" He continues as he kneels in front of the pile of blankets and weaver.

To say that Sephany is startled by Eiram's apparent state of mind would be an understatement. For a brief moment, there's a look of almost panic as she leans forward, grey eyes scouring him as though to ascertain if something is wrong… only to discover that the 'wrong' thing is herself. "Oh," and she sinks back into her blankets, relief evident. "Faranth, the way you were acting…" a long exhale complete her sentence rather than words. And then silence descends, as she absorbs the words that are spoken and the implication of them. There's a frown, a twitch to her eyebrows and a press of her lips into a thin line; disapproval, perhaps. And then a bit of a guilty look as she shakes her head. "He wasn't wrong." She unwinds the blankets just a little bit, holding out an arm. It's an invitation, to come join her in her nest. "It's not his fault." Leuka's. "And it's not forever, but yes. I am going. To Igen. But only for a few months."

Well he is a Harper, drama is what he does best. It works on the kitchen girls and the headwoman. The play on his youthfulness, but current growth spurts may put that to bed, but right now it is clear that he is genuinely distressed. At the invitation to join in the nest, he shifts over to settle next to her. "But why? Did we do something wrong? I promise to never tease you again if you just stay. You know I don't mean bad by it." All of the words spill out of him but he looks at least a little settled by the 'few months' statement and he takes a deep breath before frowning again, "You may miss the hatching and we want you there for the hatching.."

Once the blanket is swung around Eiram's shoulders, snuggling will commence. Because how can two people, in a blanket-and-pillow fort, not snuggle? It is happening. Deal with it. Grey eyes glance down toward her book, still open in her lap, and Sephany exhales again. "It's not… anything anyone has done. Well, it is something that I have done," she tacks on a bit dryly, finding no real humor in the statement. "And I do hope to make it back for the Hatching. But there are… other fractors at play. I can't promise I will be there." A press of her lips, and a sideways glance toward the Harper beside her, and then a tense pause as Sephany breathes in deeply, holds it, and finally exhales with a drop of her shoulders. "Leuka already knows. So does Riohra, But please don't tell anyone else, alright?" is her preface before she tells him, "I'm pregnant. I'm going home to Igen to have the baby, to be with my mother and sisters."

Eiram does snuggle in with the weaver. The little brother hanging out in the pillow fort with his big sister, but this is serious business. He looks up at her pensively as she starts to answer her questions. The promise to keep the secret is met with a nod and a widening of eyes with anticipation. "Oh.." He starts surprised and sits there quietly for a moment, "But why do you have to leave for that, I know its cold here but I have seen pregnant people around here do just fine. We can help you, I know we are doing this candidacy thing, but we can help and surely you want to stay with Leuka if you all are having a baby."

"It has nothing to do with the cold," Sephany counters, refraining from rolling her eyes at the implication. "I enjoy the snow. I love the ice. I am not leaving because it is cold. I just… it's complicated." Whatever relaxation she may have found sort of evaporates at his last statement, however, a new stiffness finding her shoulders as her fingers tighten on the blanket. "It's not Leuka's," she murmurs. "And we're not together. He's not involved in this decision." A downcast look, as though she was reading her book once again though there's no comprehension there. "It's complicated," she repeats. "But I want to be in Igen for this. I want… I need my family. My biological family…"

"Yeah, I was hoping we would make more snowwoman and iceskate…but I guess you can't do that anymore…but thats ok. We will keep you safe.." Eiram responds but pauses at the matter of parentage. "Oh…" Is said again and he looks down at the blanket for a moment, "Why not? Is it because the baby is not his? Not like I was raised by my parents and I turned out alright. Does he not want you anymore because you are pregnant? That's silly! I will go tell him so right now. I liked you two together. You smiled pretty when you were with him." The last words cause him to look down and grip the blanket in his fingers again and finally he nods, "You promise he didn't upset ya? I will tell him off if he did..but..he looked really upset."

Sephany is quiet as Eiram speaks, though she offers a little shake of her head when appropriate. That tension prevails, if anything it grows more prominent, and Sephany stares hard at her book for a few seconds. "It's complicated, Eiram. I can't… I really can't go into any more detail than that. But it has nothing to do with Leuka. It's not anything to do with whether he is or is not upset about the baby, or the father, or any of that. It's just… it is what it is." As for her 'smiling pretty' around him? There is a stubborn set to her jaw, and a much more firmly said, "That is neither here nor there. Things are as they are now. Nothing is going to change that. Leuka and I are not together. I am going to Igen. I will be back," she assures him. "I will try to be here for the Hatching, to cheer you on. But I can't… make any promises." That final question has her pausing for longer than she ought to, and in the end she answers with an indirect, "I am not leaving because of him."

Eiram listens quietly to her responses, taking each part in thoughtfully. "I am sorry…" He finally says and shifts so that he can hug her tightly, "I will watch over him for you until you return. I will miss you Sephany. You are my best friend and my favorite weaver and I will miss you." Tears well up in his eyes again as he squeezes the hug and finally releases, "You will have a beautiful baby and I can't wait to see it. I will write you about the hatching if you don't make it so it will be like you were there." Those stages of grief, denail, bargaining, anger, depression and acceptance. It has been a worldwind of emotion for the young man and maybe noone has died, but it is a loss for him.

A little bit of shifting on the weaver's part, and Sephany is able to wrap her arms around Eiram and return that hug, just as tightly. As disguised as she may be, she is still progressed far enough alone that the astute may feel that bump beneath her dress; a very real symptom of her condition. "I will miss you, too," she murmurs, fighting back tears as her throat seems to constrict and her voice loses its power. "I'm not leaving yet," she says again, "not for another few sevendays. Plenty of time to have a proper good bye. And I can visit, a little bit, I think," she tells him. "You just ask those eggs to hang on, and I'll try to have the baby before they crack, and things will turn out just fine." There's a tight smile for the promise to write, and a quick, "That would be nice. I like letters…" But that's about when she loses the ability to speak clearly, a shuddering breath taken as she fights back tears. "It'll be alright," murmured, breathless, and it's unclear if she's trying to reassure Eiram or herself.

Indeed the bump is felt during the embrace and when Eiram lets go he looks to Sephany, "Can I touch it?" He says with a tentative smile and wipes away the tears with a shirt sleeve, though eyes are still damp. With permission given he reaches out to touch the bump with a look of wonder in his eyes."Its like you got your very own egg growing inside of you just like the eggs on the sands." Finally he pulls his hand away and looks up her. "Ok, just don't leave before saying goodby proper ok? I mean…don't just not be here one day. I think Leuka is hurting bad because he was grumpier than normal this morning. So…don't leave him either without a proper goodbye? Even if you don't love him anymore."

A nod of her head, as Sephany grants permission for Eiram to touch her stomach. There's an odd expression on her face though, both for the question and the touch. An odd mix of curiosity and discomfort; as though this is a very new situation she is not at all accustomed to. But the 'egg' comment has a bit of that tension receding, and she laughs a quick huff of laughter at the notion. "Hopefully, this one will not come out with wings and a tail," she teases. "But if it does, I am going to blame you for putting the notion in its head." She's still small; bump still easily hidden by clothing when someone isn't touching her. "I won't. I already said I wouldn't," she chides. "I'm in no rush, in that regard. I will have a proper good bye. If nothing else, I doubt Riohra will allow me to leave without one. So don't worry. I won't just vanish without a trace. Besides. I am only visiting Igen. I am not even packing up my room."

At the teasing he can't help but grin, "Oh but what a tale that would make!" Eiram responds with a laugh and clearly already starting to write in his head. Safety in becoming 'the harper' again. "But I am sure it will come out as pretty as you." The reasurance gets a nod and another quick embrace, "Ok, I will hold you to that." He finally disentangles himself from the blankets and rises, "I should probably go apologize to Leuka, I got mad at him…and well I thought he did something bad to you and I really know he wouldn't but I said some things.." He smiles , "You will be a good mom Sephany." And with those words he heads off.


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