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With an upside-down toddler held by the waist in one arm and a clingy little boy hanging from the other, Kaskel was not exactly in a position to “drop everything” and go on a quest to find missing little girls. He didn’t seem too worried, though. He eyed his friend with an even expression and expertly turned the toddler upright with only the use of the one arm. The kid laughed, wanting to do it all over again.

“Do you mean to say you lost Leela?” He tsk-tsked the younger man and shook his head, still paying more attention to the children he was currently in charge of than the problem at hand. “She’ll be fine,” he said, turning away at the squawk of a kid that had tripped.

It was horrible of him to behave as if such a thing didn’t matter, but the truth was that Weylin obviously didn’t have eyes in the back of his head. It was only a matter of time before a girlish giggle would tell his ears that all was well.

Kaskel put down the two kids he’d been hauling to let them have a go at the sweet rolls. He tied his hair back into two pigtails in the time it took him to reach the table, where he helped himself to a roll, too. He immediately stuffed one end into his mouth and held it there in order to free his hands to snatch a greedy boy who had taken too many. “Juft tum amoum,” he said to his friend around the roll. “Fee’v mit meehime yoom.”

He grinned, still holding the treat between his teeth. If Weylin could interpret that mess, then he'd be able to understand any kid who spoke with his mouth full. And that, in their line of work, was a very useful skill.

Weylin’s antics with the little girl who’d jumped from the table were part of the reason why Kaskel liked working with him so much. The entertainment was always welcome, especially on slow days. Not only that, he clearly had a way with kids, whether he claimed to like them or not.

Chuckling, Kaskel bent to lift the girl who’d just caused all the ruckus. “Don’t climb on the table,” he told her, face straight and finger wagging back and forth in front of her nose. “You’ll get hurt, and then I’ll be very sad.” He grinned as the little one nodded emphatically in reply. She pointed at the floor, signaling her desire to get down, and Kaskel obliged.

After finishing off their treats, the two children who’d been hanging on him before had come back, along with a couple of others, to grab and cling to him with sticky fingers. It wasn’t the most pleasant experience, but he took it all in stride, leading the whole gaggle over to the basin of water for a good hand-washing. “It’s too bad you don’t want any kids,” he called over his shoulder to Weylin. “You’d make a wonderful wife.”

Kaskel listened to his friend’s gentle threats, smiling faintly. He’d been told the same when he was small—that bad little boys and girls didn’t Impress the bronzes and golds. Fortunately, most kids never realized that if that were actually true, then that would mean the Weyr was completely filled to the brim with bad people. He had to admit, though, it was a good way to motivate kids to behave. He couldn’t think of anyone who would turn down the chance for a high-ranking dragon, himself included.

Things seemed fairly contained for the moment, as far as the kids went, so Kaskel took the opportunity to relax, sitting down next to his fellow crèche worker. It wasn’t long before a little one was clamoring to get on his lap, so he leaned forward to help her up, then sat back and put his arm around Weylin’s shoulders. It was a merely comradely gesture, and Kaskel was completely unaware of the trio’s oddly familial appearance.

Watching the children who were playing dragonriders, Kaskel had fallen into a slight daze with dreamy thoughts of his own children in their place. He snapped back to reality quickly at the sound of Weylin’s voice, nodding in agreement over the fast-approaching Hatching. “More than ready. I’m a patient man, but all this waiting and wondering is enough to drive anyone crazy.”

The rumors of riders leaving… if either of the two boys Impressed, would they also abandon the crowded Weyr? He tried to picture himself packing up and moving out, leaving his crèchelings and close friends behind. The thought didn’t appeal to him, but he supposed he could do it, should a Weyrwoman or Weyrleader ask it of him. After all, it wasn’t as if there’d be no kids at a new Weyr.

But that was getting ahead of himself. Right now, Kaskel’s future was uncertain. He didn’t like that, preferring to have a measure of control, but he was the one who made the choice to Stand, and he would deal with it.

“Eh, if the rumors are true, at least we’ll have a little more elbow room.” To illustrate his point, Kaskel yawned lightly and stretched, purposely crowding Weylin in the process.