Space For The Surprise Party

Writers: Avery, Heather
Date Posted: 8th April 2015

Characters: Chaysea, Ikalis
Description: Ikalis lets Chaysea in on the upcoming party.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 12, day 1 of Turn 7
Notes: Notes: The next installment of the Surprise Party series.
Mentioned: L'pin, Alina, P'ton

Ikalis knocked on the Headwoman's door. She was clutching a sheet of
hide with notes scribbled on it, and was bouncing up and down on her
toe-tips as she waited for a reply.

Chaysea reached up and smoothed a stray strand of her glossy brown
hair into place, her lips still mouthing the words to the letter that
she was reading. "Come in." She called absently. The heat of the day
had Chaysea in a sleeveless dress, that still modestly fell down to
her ankles, but left her well toned shoulders and arms in view. A wide
belt cinched the garment at her trim waistline, and the brown hue
added a pop of color to the turqouise print she wore.

"Am I bothering you? I come bearing a request for space and effort,"
Ikalis said, smiling at the Headwoman. She had hopes that Chaysea
would be alright with it.

"Please come in, I need a distraction." Chaysea said, rocking back in
her chair and massaging her eyes with the tips of her fingers. Reading
all of that horribly illegible handwriting took its toll. **Ugh, I'll
probably need spectacles before long.**

Ikalis slipped in and closed the door behind her, settling into a
chair. "I'd like to request a space for a small gathering of people on
the 21st. Say maybe 10 people, but I assume others will drift in and
out. There should be food."

Chaysea jotted that down, "It shouldn't be a problem. May I ask what
you are planning?" Her curiosity was piqued.

"A little party for L'pin," she said, suddenly feeling a bit more shy
about it. "He has a rough time in this month - Alina and P'ton and I
wanted to do something nice. You should come, of course."

The Headwoman cocked an eyebrow, clearly confused, "Why would L'pin be
having a rough time?" As much as she enjoyed spending time with L'pin
Chaysea often felt as though she knew so little about him.

Ikalis leaned forward, her desire to spread gossip sparked. "Did you
ever hear about his son? R'min?"

"His son? What about him?" Why was this the first time she was hearing this?

"He died a couple Turns ago. L'pin doesn't talk about him much. But
it's why he stepped down from the 'staff. He thought it was his fault,
like he was a failure as a teacher. Every time his birthingday rolls
around, he takes time off and just sulks. I think we should let him
know he's not alone."

Chaysea wondered what he did during this "sulking" period. Would he
disappear from her? Would he tell her about it? Wouldn't it make sense
if _she_ was the one that took L'pin off somewhere, just the two of
them? But a glance at Ikalis made Chaysea regret that thought-- they
obviously wanted to do something great for L'pin and he deserved it.

"I didn't know," she said quietly. "What can I do to help?"

"You really care about him, right? He needs to know that - that he's a
good person. That he's more than any mistakes he made, once. That he
can't just be caught up in what happened in the past. He has friends
here in the Weyr now. He has people to mentor, and people he likes. I
figure if we show him that, he'll get better."

She shrugged at the end, a little embarrassed.

Chaysea stared at Ikalis for a moment, "How do you know L'pin so
well?" She asked curiously, wondering what one of her drudges would
have to do with a Weyrlingmaster's Third who was far older than
herself.

"It's really hard to be a person who likes others like yourself when
you're outside of the Weyr. Boys get told they're not men. Women get
told we're deviants. I spent time in a Hall, and he spent time at one
too, even if it was located here. We became close talking about how
hard it was. I cried for days when he died," Ikalis admitted.

"But R'min wouldn't have wanted his dad to just stop living because of
what happened to him. He knew those risks when he got onto those Sands
to Impress Tahgirath. What kind of friend am I to him if I let that
happen?"

That's why taking care of L'pin was so important to her. It was the
only thing she could do for R'min's sake, now that he was gone.

"I see." Chaysea's lips curved into the hint of a smile. "I think what
you have planned is a lovely idea. I'll make sure a room is reserved.
Have you already got the food covered?"

She nodded. "That, I can do."

"Perfect. Thank you for doing this for L'pin. I am sure he will
greatly appreciate it."

"I hope it goes well. Thanks for getting us the room. I'll let you
know if we need anything else," Ikalis added as she stood up. This was
going to be great!

Last updated on the April 29th 2015

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Space For The Surprise Party