A Demand

Writers: Dana, Eimi
Date Posted: 24th April 2009

Characters: Nialyn, Birigundi, K'lar
Description: Nia invites Biri to Lyndi's birthday party and quickly regrets it
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 2, day 5 of Turn 5
Notes: Part 1/2

Birigundi

The weyr was filled with milling people, adults and children and babies.
It seemed that Lyndi made an impression on everyone who came into contact
with her, and Nialyn was quite pleased that her birthday party was already
such a success--especially since it was a sevenday after her actual
birthday. The Weyr's gold has decided to rise last sevenday, and since so
much had been happening, she and K'lar had both come to the decision to
postpone it. She was flattered that so many people had shown tonight, and
if Lyndi had been old enough to understand what was happening, she'd
certainly be flattered too! Nialyn smiled down at her wide-eyed
daughter, admiring how sweet she looked in her new, pretty blue dress
K'lar had commissioned for her for her special night. "I hope there's
enough cake
for everyone," she murmured to the dragonrider at her side.

"So do I. I don't think I can just fly over the Baker Hall and ask for
another one," the brownrider smiled. He kissed the top of her head
softly. "Don't worry. I expect Lyndi won't mind having a small piece."

Birigundi sat in the corner, vaguely listening to the friend of Nia he had
decided to spend the evening charming. He had hoped she would keep his
mind off the fact that that sharding brownrider kept touching Nia, as if
she were his! Which, of course, she was now. But what a sharding
wherry's ass he turned out to be. Going to the Baker's Hall to get a
cake. Getting a dress for his daughter as if he had some sharding right!
It should have been Biri buying a sharding dress, if he had thought of it.
Wasn't it enough that the man had been there to celebrate her birthday
with her on her actual sharding birthday? All Biri got was a short visit
at the fostermother's!

And then there was Nia looking so smug and proud of herself. As if she
had created the child all by herself. She hadn't even said more than four
words to him, and he was the sharding _father_! Well, he didn't need her
attention. He could find his own attention, he thought, jaw clenching as
he watched K'lar lean down to steal another kiss. Sharding prick.

And wasn't it just like Birigundi to flirt with one of her friends at
their own daughter's birthday party, Nialyn thought sarcastically to
herself as she slanted another quick glance over at him. She had thought
that maybe--just _maybe_--inviting him would be sort of like extending an
olive branch, for she was perfectly willing to let him spend time with
their daughter tonight, but no. Birigundi had made it quite plain that
he'd rather do his best to get sharding laid tonight than to spend
precious time with his daughter on her very first birthday celebration.

Biri looked up as one of the guests stood over him. "You're the father,
aren't you? Oh you must be so proud of her. Isn't she so precious in her
little dress?"

Shells, he just wanted to throw up. "Actually, the dress should be a
shade or two lighter to match her eyes, but you know, K'lar's knew to this
kind of thing. He'll get the hang of it when manages to have a child of
his own." The sickeningly sweet smile on Birigundi's face was a
resounding 'Go away'.

"Well, she's a lovely child..." The woman took the hint and found someone
else to talk to.

**Probably complaining about how unfriendly I am,** he thought sourly.
Biri wasn't sure why Nia had invited so many sharding people to this
stupid party anyway. Just how in Faranth's name did a one turn old child
know so many people? They weren't there for Lyndi. They were her friends
and her brownrider's friends. Biri couldn't help but notice _none_ of his
friends had been invited. And he wouldn't have invited them to this party
anyway. Really, the only people who should be celebrating were Nia,
Lyndi, and him. After all, they were the ones who had actually _been_
there the night had been concieved. What business was it of anyone else?
"Do you want a drink? I could use a drink," he asked his partner. Not
even waiting for the answer he stood and made his way over to the table,
pausing briefly to place a light kiss on his daughter's head.

Lyndi's face broke out into a shining smile and she reached out with both
hands and grabbed Birigundi's shirt, holding on tightly.

He took the hint and lifted her out of her high chair. "Yeah, I know," he
whispered, rubbing his nose against hers. "I don't like all these new
people either. And you don't need a dress to be the most beautiful girl
on Pern, do you." As he held her, he felt some of the tension ease and
for the first time that evening his smile was genuine.

Her blue eyes were luminous as she looked at her father, placing a small
hand on his cheek. "Papa." Then she laughed. "Papa!"

Hearing Lyndi above the many voices echoing in the room, Nialyn glanced
over and was surprised to see Birigundi holding their daughter. Finally
he'd decided to step up and pay attention to her! Though maybe he had
wanted to before, one side of her mind cautioned. Maybe he had felt
uncomfortable with so many strangers around. Seeing that K'lar was
engaged in conversation with another dragonrider, she slipped from his
side and made her way closer to Birigundi.

"That's right, baby girl," he murmured, turning his head to give her
chubby little hand a loud kiss. "I'm your 'papa'."

"She only smiles like that when you're around." When Birigundi turned to
look at her, she offered him a small, hesitant smile of her own.

"Well, I _am_ her father." Though the knowledge that she never smiled
quite that way at K'lar pleased him to no end.

"It's good that you came tonight." And she knew it was, for Lyndi's sake,
and for his own.

"Why wouldn't I come?" he asked, feeling as though she was either trying
to accuse him of something or rub something in. "Do you think I'd miss
the party for her first sharding _birthday_? Even if I do have to share
it with a room full of people who have absolutely no connection to her at
all. But I guess I should be grateful to have been invited to at least
_one_ of her celebrations."

It seemed like she couldn't do or say anything right to him tonight!
"Look, I know you're grumpy and snarly, but can't you just save it for
once? I'm trying here, Birigundi."

"You're trying? It seems like _he's_ the one who's doing all the trying,"
he said with a nod in the dragonrider's direction. "What is this, his
'come meet my new family' party? Parading around here like he's the
father? Buying her fancy dresses, Baker Hall cakes, probably some flaming
expensive present... You know, he's getting a seriously over-inflated
view of his role in my daughter's life and I'm getting sick of it. Why do
I get the feeling that inviting me to this sharding party was his idea
just so he could rub it all straight in my face. You can tell that wherry
rider that he can buy her all the crackdust he wants, and might have just
happened to have been in the room on her _real_ sharding birthday, but it
makes no difference to her. I will always be her father. Me. Not him.
_Me_."

"Yeah, I know," she snapped, losing her patience. "Next time, if you're
ever invited here again, you will leave your foul mouth at the door. You
will _not_ insult me or my weyrmate in our own home to my face ever again,
do you understand me?"

She didn't even try to deny it, he thought with a snort. "Well, aren't
you the lady of the house, standing up for your man. You never have a
problem insulting me to my face in _my_ home, now did you? Why should I
give a flaming turd? I know I'm not welcome anywhere near your life
anymore. You've made that plain on several occassions. And if it weren't
for my daughter I would live quite happily for the rest of my life not
ever being invited near you or that man ever again."

Sharding Birigundi! "Fine! Then after tonight, I don't ever want to see
you darkening my doorstep again." He was lucky she wasn't kicking him out
right now, to shards with the embarrassing scene it would cause. Even if
he was Lyndi's biological father, he no longer deserved to be here when
every word that came out of his mouth was designed to hurt her.

"Everyone enjoying the party?" K'lar smiled, coming up to stand behind Nia
with a large smile.

Birigundi smiled sweetly back. "Oh indeed. Nice dress by the way."

"Thank you. I saw it and it reminded me of little Lyndi's eyes," the
brownrider beamed.

"You were a few shades off." And if he didn't take his hand off of Nia's
waist, Biri just might have to punch him.

K'lar was getting the hint that the candidate was less than pleased. "I'm
sorry. Have I done something to offend you?"

"Only by breathing," Birigundi assured him.

The brownrider thought that was rather uncalled for. "All right, look..."

He was quickly cut off by the candidate. "Actually, I'm glad you're both
here. There's something I was hoping to discuss with you tonight about
Lyndi. I want to have Lyndi on all rest days from now on."

Nialyn's sharp laugh of disbelief was more like a gasp of shock. He had
the gall to _demand_ this from her after the way he treated her just now?!
"No."

Birigundi smiled, unphased. "Yes."

"Perhaps we should give Lyndi to her mother and talk about this in the
Hall," the brownrider suggested, already seeing where this was going to
lead.

"Yes," she murmured. "Give her to me. I don't want to cause a scene,
Birigundi."

She always did that. She always tried to rip his baby away from him like
she owned her or something. "I may not know who any of these people are,
but I _do_ know which one is your mother, Nia. I'll take her."

K'lar put his hands on her shoulders, gently squeezing them. The last
thing they needed was to fight over the baby in the party. "We'll meet
you in the Hall then."

Last updated on the May 10th 2009

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A Demand