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 Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2012 3:19 pm
[Berath]
The arrival of another dragon made her tense, but she recognised him as one of Malvren and then she realised and he was not here to fight. His rider swayed and trembled, and she whined softly at the sight. the hulking green sent, addressing both dragon and rider, and the young healer who still tended to her wounds.
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Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2012 4:49 pm
Becka looked to Aleck, "No... you're right... and we have Dragonriders here now, even a... uh ... " she glanced at the Wherhandler coming and going to tend to her Wher "We have a Wherhandler on our side... " she said carefully, unsure of Aleck's reaction. She glared at Rochelle, hadn't she just been told several times that no one was getting left behind, she didn't have to rub it in, especially when she was sitting so close to Aleck and had heard him speak. Just as quickly as she glared, she turned away, trying not to provoke anything. She tried not to listen to the conversation between Aleck and the Silver-rider, especially as Carltis moved to sit there. Becka began to feel a little left out but she didn't have time to sit around, shaking, she moved off away from the trio seated near Bereck.
She moved over to the Wherhandler "Ma'am, i'm really sorry that i offended you earlier, i really didn't mean to" she said "I'm... i'm an Apprentice healer... currently the only available healer, there's one from Benden outside looking after my master's Dragon... perhaps.. if your Wher allows, i can see to him until any injured people arrive, i heard you say he's hurt his eye" she said, nervous. She was terrified of going near the Wher but at the same time, she WAS a healer and Wingleader Kleos had already said there weren't any badly hurt, just shaken up. Her gaze to the Wherhandler was of obvious fear but determination too, she WOULD help those in need, if Cai wasn't with Berath, she'd be there too. Bereck was alright for now, Aleck would call her, hopefully, if anything changed.
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Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2012 5:35 pm
[Mazamath]
You have my thanks, Mazamath replied, weary but grateful. I will remain here with you, and if any come, I will help. He wanted to sleep. He wanted to soak in the lake, or pick flowers, or be doing anything else normal and fun, but it would be awhile yet before he would do any of those things again. Crooning again to His, he nosed her towards the door before settling his blue bulk.
[Adi]
Adi was surprised when the green spoke to her as well, and turned to blink at her in quiet surprise. It wasn't often that 'quiet' described the bluerider, but she was still shocked and shaken and scared. Gee, but that was a big green, she observed distantly, and answered softly, "Th-thank you."
The girl hugged Mazamath's nose one more time before making her way to the door. She peeked inside briefly, then sidled in. There were...quite a few people in here, whom she would ordinarily have been very happy to see. But she was tired, and she was hurt, and she was still struggling to cope with all the terrible things that had just happened and were still happening.
No sooner had she entered than she slumped against the wall and slid to the floor to sit. The weyrbrat was pretty sure she recognized some of these people, but couldn't summon the names right this moment. That would have required thinking straight.
"Hi." That much was simple enough at least.
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 3:08 pm
So that was it then.
As V'eck looked away, Aleck tentatively lowered his guarding elbow and listened, nodding quietly at various points. No use telling the crimson rider they'd been hoping for reinforcements too. Under the Threadscore, he realized she wasn't all that much older than he was.
"We had some ideas." He felt.. less tense and rigid than he had before. There was a little room in his mind to move; someone was stabilizing him. Rochelle? He bent his arm as requested; it was all he could do for her. "Evacuating to Trine." He'd said he would do this; he couldn't forget! "We can be packed up and ready to go, have stretchers ready if bad casualties come in. Some sort of list-" Lists sounded like his father; he was on the right track. "-tell people who come in what dragon they'll be on, so they don't panic and fight." What was he forgetting. Wherhandlers outside, but some dragons too.. "Some sort of guard so they can take off?"
Bereck stirred; it drew the weyrbrat's attention away. "Dad." Aleck reached over and grasped at his hand, his tone quiet and personal. "It's okay; he's gone. Look-" He fumbled for a portrait, glanced at his choice, and fitted it under the healer's hand. "Here's grandmom. Hold on to her." He didn't care if he hurt V'eck now; what was important was that his father lived.
Distracted with the fear of Bereck overexerting himself, he failed to notice Adi's entry and greeting.
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 8:54 pm
[Siata]
Carltis and his offer to help brought another wide smile to Siata's otherwise tired face. Few things made people happy in the time of need like an offer to help, whether he liked it or not. "I could definitely use someone to clean out his eye. He won't bite at anyone I'm with but I'd feel better if I were the one holding him down. Poor baby is in pain, wouldn't want him to lash out."
She spoke of him the same way of any owner of a large and dangerous beast. True, Siask probably wouldn't go and bite anyone, not if they were on her side, but he'd be less prone to biting at someone big like Carltis. Male, yes, but human, and Siask liked Siata around humans. He felt it good for her or something. She'd started to turn around when Becka approached.
Blink, blink. Huh. The little apprentice apologized, offered help even, and in Siata's book that was more than enough to redeem her in Siata's books. If she had any free hands, she'd pat Becka on the back like a proper reassurance. The wherhandler smiled instead, something a bit more soft than the Bro-Beam she aimed at Carltis earlier.
"Apology accepted. It's a hard time for everyone, stress and blood and all that. No hard feelings, Healer, deal? Both sides? Good. Now, tell ya what... these are getting heavy. You take a deep breath, get your chin up, and come out with us. My handsome friend here and I will take care with my Siask - really, all you need to do is clean out his eye, I can patch it up. Would that be alright?" She'd started to get back towards the door, wedging it open. "All he has is a shirt on it now and I don't want to wait."
-----
[Rochelle]
Concentrating on Aleck meant she missed Becka's glare. Probably a good thing too, as her patience during the time of crisis could only go so far when it came to the Healer. She was only vaguely aware of the girl wandered off to cause other people issues, distracted by getting a large triangle bandage on Aleck to form a crude sling.
She patted his hand gently, eyes sliding over to Carltis, Tiny, and the big woman, attention off of Kleos and her upset. Right. Big kids were talking and look at that, a little thing slinking in to sliiiiiide down the wall like a boneless lump, poor thing. "I hate to say it," she said, and <********> she hated saying it. "But I'm voting on the side of evacuation. Uh - hey, you, kid, you okay?"
She remained where she was, thank you. Maybe Bereck had hurt her feelings something stupid but Aleck still fumbled a little with his words. For the quiet boy, that meant distress, and he loved his father.
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Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 10:06 am
[Carltis]
Carltis nodded assent to Siata's request, and was about to start outside when Becka showed up. Once again a little backbone was showing through the sniffles, putting her up in his esteem a little; that she was willing to step out of the relative safety of the infirmary into the uncertainty of the corridor to help a wher said... well, something. He didn't know. "Let's get to it then," he said with a nod to the healer, setting off after Siata as she made for the door.
*****************
[Kleos]
The master healer's reaction to V'eck was unexpected to say the least. So far she had found the silver rider to be a thoroughly good man; that he incited such hatred from Bereck who she had only ever observed being practical and professional didn't fit with what she knew of either of them. Either she had missed something highly significant, or the healer was just confused.
Whatever the cause however it was the effect that concerned her, the last thing the healer needed was to be stressed. She tried to catch V'eck's eye to signal him away but the tall old man was staring at some fixed point far away, his face tense. She was about to speak to him when the door to the dragon side of the infirmary opened, admitting a young woman she recognised as one of Z'fer's wing. "Go to her V'eck, I will follow," she said quietly as Aleck started to speak to his father, turning to look at the silver rider... who had nocked an arrow. "At ease; Berath would not have allowed her in if she were a traitor."
"...Of course." The silver rider relaxed his draw and placed the allow back in his quiver. For a moment he lingered by the bed, his eyes flickering down to the pallid man lying on it. In that moment the calm aloof man looked pained, but before Kleos could say anything to him his expression smoothed and he looked away again, setting off across the room towards the new refugee.
Kleos watched him go, troubled by his evident distress but uncertain what she could do about it. There was scarcely time for it at the moment in any case; she needed to remain practical. Running a hand over her short clipped hair (wincing as her fingers encountered a welt from a whip strike) she turned back to Aleck and nodded. "I have not had time to consider it myself, but Trine sounds like our best hope should we have to leave. As more people arrive we can organize lists as you suggest, and I will see to it that there are riders ready to cover those carrying refugees...." Planning to leave her home, the place that had accepted her where her Hold would not. The place she had met Moriath, and made the greatest friends of her life. "Prepare for the worst, and hope for the best; on my dragon's life I swear I shall not surrender our home without a fight," she said after a pause with a slight bow to Rochelle and Aleck. "Pray excuse me," she went on, "I must go to her."
'Her' was of course the blue rider; turning away she hastened over just in time to hear V'eck address her much as Rochelle had.
"Are you injured, young rider?" he asked, his soft voice sounding as calm as ever. Clearly whatever had troubled him had been buried for now; Kleos found herself respecting and rather envying that control as she halted beside him and knelt before the slumped rider.
"Welcome rider," she saluted, which felt rather odd kneeling down, "I am Kleos, Wingleader of Dauntless. You are among friends here. How is your dragon?" She was sure that the other healer would be caring for him if he required it, but it felt right to ask nevertheless.
*****************
[Bereck]
Aleck was here; when had he arrived?... No, he had been here the whole time hadn't he? Head turning in the direction of his son's voice Bereck fumbled for the fingers that had squeezed his a moment ago; his vision was blurry, too blurry to be much help in finding him. The picture was ignored, wasn't important now, because it wasn't safe here. Things wanted to hurt Aleck. If he kept hold of him maybe he would be safe. Safer. Nothing was safe here. Maybe he should make him go, him and Rochelle too, whose voice he thought he had heard, who he was pretty sure had been here earlier. She was a good girl even if she was incorrigible. Go somewhere safe. Yes.
"...'leck. Go... s'mwhere safe. With R'chlle. Not safe here f'either of you... c'n make that b*****d take you. Tell 'm he owes me."
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Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 2:23 pm
[Adi]
Fortunately, Adi was far too busy burying her face in her hands to notice at any point that there was an arrow pointing in her direction, or there might have been panicking. There would definitely have been crying. Err, more crying than there was going to be regardless. She raised her head when someone called her 'kid' and asked if she was okay, and sucked in a breath through her runny nose, wiping her face with her sleeve.
"No," she started to answer, letting the word out in a plaintive sound, but then two more people were asking about her, and - and who was that laying over there and what was wrong with them? More than what was wrong with her, probably. No wonder that other girl had called her a kid, she was being a baby. She looked back down. "I-I mean, I...I'm okay, I just-"
Was on the verge of having a meltdown, but a mental touch from her dragon steadied her. "It's just bruises." Across her face and wrapped around her throat like fingers. "Maz is...is kinda beat up. There was a bronze, and a- But he'll be okay. He'll be fine. We'll be fine."
She looked up again, searching the wingleader's scarred face for reassurance.
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Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 2:52 pm
"I can get moving again in a minute here." Aleck nodded to Kleos as she excused herself, silently thankful there was someone with the rank to order people about. People didn't really listen to a wounded weyrbrat without a shirt.
It was unintentional, but as V'eck moved away Aleck visibly relaxed. His left side was definitely stiff, refusing to loosen up with the rest of his body, and faintly feeling the pat on his hand he finally looked over and gave Rochelle a weak smile as she finished tying off the bandage. "Thanks, Ro." But it was brief; the brunet glanced up at Adi when his friend pointed her out - Carltis had been here, where had he gone? - but fumbling fingers dismissed the distractions. Dad.
The sling helped; he could bend and grip Bereck's hand with less concern for what he was doing to his injured arm, though he hadn't treated it with too much concern before. "We'll go, Dad. You're coming too." He tucked the portrait into a fold of blanket then did the same with the other two - b*****d V'eck might be, but Aleck was willing to bet the proud silver rider would be less inclined to take paintings from his heavily wounded son than the grandson he'd never known, and never wanted to. "You're still on the stretcher; we can pick you up easy. Still cold?"
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Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 7:54 am
[Bereck]
Hand.
He curled his cold clammy fingers around it but the strength that had been in his grasp on Aleck’s shoulder earlier was gone. There was no real strength at all in fact; contact was as much as he managed. “Cold.” He repeated the word, trying to fix his gaze on where he thought his son was. Yes. He was cold. Freezing. It felt like ice was running in his veins, ice and knives. “Yes. Cold, and... it hurts. ‘n can’t... can’t think.” That was the worst, the most frightening. He suddenly realised he didn’t know what had happened, or why it wasn’t safe here. He couldn’t remember what he’d said five minutes ago. Was he losing himself? His mind?
It was too hard to think more.
“...Tired.” He knew distantly that he ought to stay awake but sleep was tempting. Perhaps if he slept for a while he would feel better. He should stay awake though because... because he should. Knew he should. He didn’t know why. He didn’t know anything, only that Aleck was somewhere close and it wasn’t safe. He knew he wasn't thinking right either. He was hurt. Badly....
How badly?
“ ‘leck.” His fingers twitched briefly against the warm hand holding his, but then went lax again. Couldn't think, needed to say things though. He tried to focus his mind. It was very difficult. “Y’know... love you. And. ‘m very... very proud of you.” That was right. Yes. He’d said what mattered. Maybe it was alright to sleep for a while now.
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Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 1:11 pm
[Siata]
"Rock on with your bad self," Siata wedged her way out to the hallway, huffing at the attempt to do it without both of her hands free. In the hall, the huge hulking bronze sat. He held his handlers shirt pressed to the ruined eye with one blood soaked claw - a humans blood, or several humans. One got in his way and blinded him and others had tried to get at his handler before the Run - he did not care. He'd lick it clean after. "Hey there, big man. This is someone who's gonna help us, okay? Don't be stupid."
Siask rumbled in what could be insult or agreement. He tilted his head to stare at Carltis with his good eye, muzzle curling back to reveal his crooked, sharp teeth.
"See why I said to take the wher fangs? --Not yours, Siask, stop with the suspicion. Some brown decided to go and try to kill our friends."
That he could understand - uppity brown, getting all up in a bronzefriends junk. Siask settled down, curling his thick tail around himself. He dropped his claw to reveal the smushed eye, eyelids half closed over it. Siata patted his head as if he were an overgrown canine once she'd put the supplies down, tsking under her breath.
"Right, so until the little healer gets out here... Redwort first? Does that clean it?"
He was going to die, Siask knew it.
----
[Rochelle]
Uuuugh so many feels why is there so many feels. She managed a smile of her own in return to Alecks, reaching up with a now free hand to give his hair a fond ruffle. "Don't mention it, Aleck. We're going to get all of this stuff done and then someone will be able to make it prettier."
She edged out of the way a bit for Aleck and Bereck. Some sort of privacy would be good, right? But no one here was reassuring Aleck it would be alright, really, no one tried to disagree with Bereck's actions that said maybe he would die.
That was such wherriepoo. Rochelle tugged a blanket off of their own cot - it'd been dislodged in the kicking and dragging, giving enough so neither one of them flew off the cot or even had to shift that much. She leaned over, frowning, and placed it carefully over Aleck's shoulders, taking care with the one she just tended to.
"Rocham liked to say things like this too, and now he's throwing pillows at my face when I visit. I think it's a father thing," She glanced at Bereck's pale face, doing her very best to keep her face neutral. "We're going to be fine and get you warm, Bereck. Don't worry. I'll make sure Aleck is safe. Okay?"
How, she was not sure.
She wanted a blowtorch.
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Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 1:41 pm
"Dad-"
No, no. That sounded like goodbye. That wasn't the answer he'd wanted to hear. That wasn't the hand he'd wanted to feel, not like this; the chill spiked through his palm, shocking him, and the careful calm he'd maintained against V'eck twisted up into worry and fear. He'd done everything he was supposed to, everything he could think of. He - or someone had - stopped the bleeding, stitched him closed, kept him warm, got him water, seen to Berath, stayed right there, and still it seemed his father was about to slip away.
What else could he do?
Not enough.
A blanket settled over his hunched shoulders; he looked up and there was rusty hair, blue eyes and strong words, stable ones, like the ones he'd been trying to maintain because it seemed like there was no one else. Now there was, and under the weight of things, he crumbled.
"I don't know what to do."
It was an awful reversal of four turns ago.
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Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 1:52 pm
[Carltis]
"Yeah, I think it does.... Hey!" Calrtis stiffened abruptly. "You hear that?... Hang on!" Stepping back and straightening he pulled his whip from his belt and advanced towards the nearest bend in the hallway.
He was met by a knife, slashing down his face before he could even cry out.
Instead of screaming he snarled and punched the man in the gut. "Intruders!" He had no idea how many, but more than one. ********, as if today couldn't get any worse. His face!
*********
[Bereck]
His eyes drifted closed again, but he smiled for a moment. "Roc'am. Should hear f'm th'hall soon.... 'll tell y'all about how he is, R'ch'll, they'll b'taking... tak'in'good care. Promise.... 'leck?" Aleck hadn't replied properly. Had he? Maybe he had but he hadn't heard. "Y'there? 'leck?" He had to be there somewhere. Right? Wasn't that his hand? He twitched his fingers against it again, the small brief smile fading to an expression of distress. Fear. "Come back!"
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Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 2:07 pm
[Siata]
She spun on her heel when Carltis decided to bolt off. "Idiot! Don't go running off like that!" Siata almost got knocked off her feet when Siask ran after the huge weyrbrat. "Siask, no, I told you he-- oh s**t."
Her worries had been unfounded. The wher leaped at one of the intruders, snarling for all he was worth, teeth gnashing through flesh, claws tearing. Those in the rooms were deemed his by Siasks after all. They would die.
The second one that came at him would die too.
----
[Rochelle]
"You're doing everything right," Rochelle leaned up to wrap an arm around Aleck. Still mindful of his shoulder, she tilted herself closer in a shadow of a proper hug. "Absolutely everything right, Aleck. You're much better in this situation than I had been, remember? All nasty with tears and snot and stuff."
She shook her head, attention back to Bereck. s**t. He'd been upset at her before (and she hoped he didn't really mean those words, they still hurt) but even those sorts of comments didn't warrant his worry. Aleck got his hug and reassurances, and poor bereck looked to be panicking. Right. Aleck had to crumble.
The glasscrafter leaned down, close to Berecks ear to make sure he could hear her. While her arm had to slide away from Aleck to go so, she kept as near as she could. "Aleck is right here. I'm sorry, Bereck. We were discussing Rocham. Promise he's still here."
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Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 2:44 pm
Now wasn't the time to wonder about how he felt, or whether Rochelle had kept up with that rider from ages ago. He leaned into her, faintly hoping for another hair ruffle, and if it was more weight than he would have put into Becka or Cai or.. well, Carltis wouldn't do this so that point was moot, then so be it. He needed her right now.
You're doing everything right but it's still going wrong, the detached logical part of him pointed out.
He'd closed his eyes for a moment - just to rest - but he opened them when his father called, when his fingers twitched. "I'm here-" Cold fear again. "Dad, I'm right here!" Couldn't he hear him?
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Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 2:54 pm
[Bereck]
Sounds spun around him in a whirl but he couldn't make sense of anything. "Aleck!" His eyes opened; huge, wild, terrified and his breath started to come in staccato gasps again. " 'm sorry!" Wasn't safe. Aleck wasn't safe. He hadn't kept him safe. " 'm... 'm sorry."
The healer's eyes closed again, his head lolled limply to the side, and his breath came slower but just as shallow.
On the verge of unconsciousness, his lips parted to whisper three more desperate words.
"Please. Come back."
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