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 Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2017 11:00 am
The dragonhealer continued on as if it wasn't plainly clear that Tyila had never encountered the sort of lingo that was commonly used among healers. He didn't seem too phased by her silence. Following her into the greenhouse, he stepped carefully around some of the new growth. "Yes, that's it. We'll need a lot of aloe for an adult dragon, even one Mishaath's size." He liked this sort of work; working with his hands made him feel more connected to the world, a little less out of his depth.
"Feel the aloe leaves. We'll need the most plump ones. For now we'll just cut the leaves and pile them up to carry back with us. Hold each leaf upside down after cutting it to allow the resin to drain out. We'll continue to process the aloe back up in my weyr, as we'll want it to be as fresh as possible." He had planted several rows of aloe to augment those that the Weyr had already had, as he'd found that the burn relief provided by the aloe also aided Threadscore victims. Sometimes numbweed simply was not an option.
After handing her the other pair of shears, he turned his attention to the aloe. He selected a leaf, feeling the thickness of the leaf, and began to cut. They would need quite a lot of the stuff in order to help Mishaath, but given that their store of numbweed was sufficient for the Weyr's needs, he felt more than justified. When he'd cut the leaf free, he held it upside down, letting the dark colored resin to simply drip out of it. While the resin itself could have been useful, he didn't want to distress her with diarrhea. The poor thing was already feeling so dreadfully, after all.
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Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2017 7:11 am
Tyila took the shears he offered and tried to follow along, studying each leaf (she didn't think they looked quite like leaves really though...) for plumpness. The work went decently fast, her unease at doing something new and her haste to help Mishaath balancing each other out. She wasn't sure what Dristan meant by 'a lot' so she resolved to keep her pile where he could see it, and to stop cutting exactly when he did. "What d-do you need to do with them?" She evenetually wondered, "You said you would process them back in your weyr...is it sonething I can help with?" She wasn't paying but she could at least do that. "Is there anything I should do to get her to eat it? Or anything for after ahe's eaten it?" She had no idea of the potential pending mess, but what dragon's rider would shy from such things if it meant the health and comfort of their closest partner? Any rider would gladly shoulder their dragon's pain if they could. What was a little mess?
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Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2017 11:08 am
Dristan was silent for a time as he gathered, with Tyila's help, what aloe they'd need. When he felt they'd cut and drained a sufficient number, he held up his hand. "I'll be cutting the skin off of these leaves and it will go faster if you help me with it. We'll need to cut until we get to the clear, gel-like interior, and then I can take it from there. I don't mind doing it myself, but since you've offered, I'm more than glad of the help." It would take much less time if she was helping him, after all. He took a string that he'd bundled up in his beltpouch and began to wind it around the aloe, wrapping them close together so that they could be carried with greater ease.
"As far as getting her to eat it... you'll just have to ask her to. She shouldn't take it with anything else. Maybe some water. The flavor isn't bad, so I don't think it should be too hard for her to get down, if she can manage it." It got a little harder from there. The dragonhealer kept his expression fairly neutral as he considered what advice to give Tyila where aftercare was concerned. "Be prepared for a mess. If she doesn't feel well enough to fly, then you'll need to muck your weyr out as you would a weyrling's. Do what you can to reassure her that it's perfectly normal, and nothing to worry about. Dragons don't like a mess, so I imagine she'll be a bit upset. If she can fly, then she'll just need to go between, and you'll want to watch her for any sign that she hasn't cleared herself out." As he spoke, he gave Tyila a bundle to carry and took one himself, leading them back toward the weyr.
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 7:13 am
In the end it didn't seem too much was needed. The aloe beds were obviously thinned out from when they'd entered, but hadn't been stripped bare, nore even halved. Tyila, finally, began to feel that perhaps she really wouldn't have to pay for the plabts, the help...and as always, she was faintly boggled at the sheer wealth and abundance of the weyr. Just because one had need of more did not mean that another would go without in turn. It was still novel to her, despite these past months. "Just the aloe then," she parroted, watching as he swiftly wound the piles of stalk-like leaves into convenient bundles. "I don't mind mucking the weyr." It was, admittedly, not something she had done before. Not technically at least. When Mishaath had been growing they had been in the wilds, and left their campsite behind for new lands almost every day. No one had ever found a need to muck or clean under bushes or in trenches, but once or twice when they'd been set up a little more long-term (once for a whole sevenday even!) she'd had to tend the green's messes. Cleaning after her now was, she felt, the least she could do after letting this happen in the first place. I can fly though, I'm sure of it, Tyila, so you won't have to. The green in question had woken from her nap and chimed in, the calm, placid rhythm of her mind-speech betraying how unwell the poor thing felt. Either way, my Mishaath, I'll take care of you! I'm so so so sorry, i really am, I--
Oh oh oh Tyilamine, I know you didn't mean for this. And I can feel how sorry you are, even though you can feel that i don't blame you...
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 11:13 am
Tyila's attitude, while not uncommon among dragonriders, as certainly gratifying. It did not surprise Dristan that she took such unpleasant duties without complaint, for the bond between rider and dragon was intensely strong. However, although it was expected it was still welcome. The dragonhealer smiled as he led the young woman up the steps, back toward his weyr. Poor Mishaath was not in any state to be moved, and he didn't wish to keep her waiting much longer. Dragons had an alarming tendency to go looking for their riders, even when they would be better served in simply awaiting their return. "Then she'll get better very soon." It wouldn't hurt to assure the Greenrider, after all.
The aloe was cumbersome, and he had to shift it slightly in his hold in order to avoid losing his grip. He wasn't weak, by any means, but the awkward bulk of the leaves was somewhat difficult to navigate while one was climbing steps. "Actually processing the aloe won't take too long-- I've done this quite a lot, and my knife is very sharp. What I'll need you to do is keep Mishaath calm when I administer the aloe gel. You won't see the effects right away. You'll probably want to get her back to her wallow after, and let her tell you when she's ready to... eliminate. If there are any ill effects, please contact me immediately. Are you able to read?" If so, he could write out a feeding schedule for her. "We'll need to have a consultation to address her diet, since she does need to put on a little weight." As they spoke, they'd just about reached the corridor that his weyr fed off from.
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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 9:33 am
Dristan's reassurances were their own kind of balm to Tyila's worries. Every step back up the stairs, though awkward and burdened by the load of leaves in her arms, was one step closer to the core of her heart, and that core's restored health. She'd have cut off her hand and fed it to the dragon if it'd been what was needed to heal her, but thankfully. no. "She can be calm," She reassured. When in full health, and well fed, Mishaath was one of the more energetic, sprightly, almost twitchy greens to be found. Tyila's always been able to steady the skittish thing though, and now would be no different. This was important to her rider, and Mishaath would make it important to herself too. "I, I don't have drills for the day, and the next." She'd been dismissed from the wing (to her shame and humiliation) to tend her dragon's illness, so she could stick to the green's side like a firelizard near the feeding pens. A pinkness swept into her cheeks at the dragonhealer's next question. "A little..." Her handwriting was frankly atrocious, and though she could read (unless the words were very complex, she HAD been practicing!) that wasn't like to change any time soon. There'd been no need to read or write in the wild, though it had been one of the first things addressed when she joined High Reaches. Already shamed over her worn clothing, her lack of skills, her undersized, underfed, untrained green, and a number of other shortcomings, writing and reading had been something concrete she could tackle, and work on improving. "I read better than I write, but...I could, uhm, if you want." She stammered a bit, nervous at making a suggestion, "I have a, a friend who could help me read it, if, if anything doesn't make sense?" T'rel could probably write for her as well, but the fewer people she had to involve in solving her troubles, the better, she felt.
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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 8:19 pm
When she spoke of her cancelled drills, Dristan's heart went out to her. However, it was quite true that Mishaath needed every moment of Tyila's time. He shifted his hold on his bundle of aloe leaves, opening the door with one hand as the other precariously balance the bundle between his chin and his shoulder. Thankfully, he'd done this before. More than he cared to admit, really. Leading Tyila inside, he set the aloe down on the table. "All right. Let me get the knives and we'll get started. I'll need a big bowl-- there should be one on the shelf, there," he said, pointing to indicate which shelf.
There was also a trough of water that would be suitable for easing Mishaath's way. "You aren't going to need to write anything. I'll be writing a schedule for you, for the first few sevendays, and if you have any questions I'm right here." Ready and willing to answer them. Closing the door absently, he set about to gathering what he needed, placing the knives on the table with the aloe. This was going to be a little time consuming, but not more so than harvesting the aloe had been in the first place. "Please let me know if Mishaath worsens." While he could usually tell by looking at a dragon, as their eye colors were quite expressive, the subtler signs were harder to read and he didn't want to waste any time that they could be spending healing her.
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Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2017 9:45 am
Tyila was quick and silent as she snared the items he requested, her demeanor still incredibly mouse-like, as though she was bracing to be reprimanded, despite seeming otherwise unafraid or unworried. Really her thoughts were entirely focused on Mishaath, mind racing once more over the memory of her wingleader cutting her from practice, the disgust in his eyes at the state of her green, and the shared pain from her dragon bond. Once she had the bowl she joined him at the table, placing it between them, along with her sheaf of aloe leaves. Gingerly she took up one of the knives, eyeing his hands as he began to process the plants, eventually moving to slowly mimic what he was doing. "I-I can do that," She bobbed her head. "It'll help Mishaath, right? To get better, and then to get more...less...in better shape?" She glanced over her shoulder to where the underfed green was still dozing. Before coming to the weyr she'd never really noticed how stark she looked, how feeble. Vigmalath had always looked larger, fuller, but in her ignorance she had always thought that had been to do with his being blue, and never realized that as the leader's son's dragon, he'd simply gotten the lion's share of the food. "W-worsens...?" She hadn't thought it could get much worse than this, and her hands shook at the cascade of worries that came rushing up on the heels of that thought. A faint gasp, barely audible, slid out as the knife slipped in her rattling grasp, sharp edge dragging over the meaty pad of her thumb. Without hesitation she dropped the leaf and the blade, reached down, and tore a small strip from the bottom of her tunic. She wound the blood-beading digit as best she could before reaching for the tools again.
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 11:18 am
As Dristan worked through his pile of aloe leaves, he listened to the silence. The young rider beside him was deeply anxious... and he wondered at the origin of that anxiety. He was not a mindhealer by any means, however he knew the signs of a nervous animal. She was displaying them in spades. "It will help Mishaath, yes. She'll be much better. I am going to teach you how to take the best care of her that's possible. That I promise." It's what she should have been taught as a weyrling, but obviously no one had stood in for Weyrlingmaster. Not for this young woman with her undersized, underfed Green. While he'd certainly heard of young men and women who'd never been trained whatsoever to care for their beasts, the reality of it always struck him hard when he met them. It was almost unfathomable that there were places so in the dark.
"It is unlikely that she will worsen, but we must always take care to prepare for it. I believe that she will respond very well to this treatment. And I know that she is in no danger of dying. You caught her well before that might have been a concern." Which meant that she was in tune with her dragon, certainly beyond other cases he'd seen. "Hers is not the worst case of thick tail that I've treated, Tyila. And my other patients have recovered. She will be just fine." The need to reassure her was strong, as he made the aloe ready in the large bowl.
When he realized, however, that she'd cut herself, he put the knife down and reached for his kit. "That needs to be cleaned before you wrap it, and it needs a clean bandage as well. If you're going to care for her you'll need to care for yourself, too." That looked like it hurt. Brows drawing together, he deftly took her hand, turning it over in his own. "May I?" He was a healer, after all, even if his patients were usually quite a bit larger than Tyila.
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Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2017 7:39 am
She startled when he reached for her hand, but after a moment of consideration she let him inspect the half-wrapped appendage. She didn't mention that she was more or less used to simply wrapping an injury and hoping to find clean water to clean it with soon. He already no doubt found her origins lacking, so her holdless' group's lack of medical training or supplies would only further diminish her in his eyes, she assumed. "Can it wait? Until after we feed Mishaath?" She dared to ask, still firmly prepared to shoulder anything before making her dragon hurt for a moment longer than needed. "It doesn't even hurt so..." Across from them, on the ledge, Mishaath herself roused, one pale gray-green eye blinking open to regard her rider and the not-rider that was meant to be able to help them. Tyilamine please please please take care of yourself too, okay? I want us to both be healed together, okay? Her mental voice was still achingly slow and sleepy sounding compared to her normal rapid-fire chatter, and it made Tyila heartsick to hear it. Still, she made no more efforts to deter the man from tending her if that was his wish.
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Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2017 8:19 am
At her words, Dristan reconsidered his initial plan. "Clean it off with this," he said, bringing out a small bottle. "And then wrap it with this." He set a bandage on the table between them. "I'll tend to Mishaath while you do. It's really not fair to make you wait when she's in such a state." It was almost an apology, and he felt keenly his own lack. While his concern for her was not unreasonable, asking her to wait while he worked on her was. Picking up his knife, he began to cut the aloe again, extracting the all-important gel-like center of each leaf. It was tedious work, but he'd get it finished soon enough. The pile was diminishing bit by bit, and as soon as she cleaned her thumb off she'd be able to help him with the process-- assuming she hadn't gotten too badly hurt.
"When you're finished with your thumb you may assist me. I wouldn't want to accidentally contaminate the aloe, after all, or infect your wound. Don't worry about this extending the process. Mishaath will be fed soon." He hated to put her in the position of seemingly choosing between herself and her dragon, but he was making quick work of the aloe, and this needed to be dealt with now.
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Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 4:16 pm
She hesitantly took the bottle—that same consideration of her need to repay so much kindness and supplies being spent on her and her dragon flaring up again behind her doe-like eyes—and the bandage, dutifully unwinding the strip of cloth she'd wound about the cut, eyeing it and then uncapping the bottle to drip the smaaallest of drops onto the wound. She flinched instinctively before she even had time to register if whatever the medicine was would sting or not, and swiftly resealed the bottle, setting it aside and nearly as far from herself as she could reach. The bandage went next, being wound around again as well as the fabric had been, and her lips tightened against the muted pain that was the pressure of the gauzy material. She knew well enough that once it was on and protected it'd feel better, especially when she went to use the hand. "Thank you again, and I'm sorry." The last thing she'd wanted was to add to Dristan's workload for the day. She hastened to wipe off her palms against her thighs, and then reached for the knife again, hurriedly but cautiously working away at the last of the pile of aloe. Mishaath had already had to wait too long, and no more would be tolerated, or at least not on her own behalf. "What next? What can I do?" Her request was almost a demand (though admittedly the weakest, most timid one as could be made, probably) and her eyes shone with clear determination. Already her own pain had slackened, the ever-present ache of her dragon fluttering back to the edges of her mind as the green began to rouse.
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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 10:43 am
"It's quite fine, Tyila." She had nothing to worry about, although Dristan knew that there was no way that he'd be able to convince her of such. "You're welcome." As he worked through his task, he realized that this was the first time he'd made such a large batch of the aloe remedy. Not surprising, really, given that Mishaath was a bit older than the weyrlings that usually needed it. There were so many uses for aloe, but this particular use demanded a lot of aloe leaves. When it came to burns most people turned to numbweed, which certainly was more effective.
When she spoke again he glanced up, setting the last bit of aloe in the large bowl. "What I need you to do is keep Mishaath calm. I'm going to be feeding this to her after I've finished it, and given that she's had trouble with her food of late I want to make sure she's able to keep it down. That means giving her every possible advantage... and as her rider you'll be best suited to the job." He could have called on a Gold dragon, but not today. Not for this. He wanted to let Tyila fill that role because it mattered so much to her. Of course it mattered-- he'd never heard of a rider who was careless with their dragon-- but even so, Tyila was especially anguished.
He readied the remedy and carefully scooped up the first dose. "All right, here we go." Crossing the distance between himself and the dragon, he waited for Tyila to get into place.
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Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 5:34 pm
No doubt sensing the need to wake from her rider, Mishaath had blinked awake by the time all the aloe was ready. She did not much care to be awake at the moment, still feeling horridly bloated and stiff, but she could tell the importance of it, and had gained a vague understanding of what had to be done just from the thoughts rushing about in her Tyila's head. The worn-looking green lowered her head towards the pair of humans as they crossed towards her, eyes a dull graying yellow-green, and she let slip a small, pitiful warble as she opened her mouth. Tyila of course had all but bolted to head for her dragon when the bath of aloe was done, and she met the green with arms wide open to cradle her cheek against the girl's chest. "It's going to be all better soon, Mishaath, I promise. Dristan's going to help." She stroked the green's eye ridge as the dragon opened her mouth wide, not wanting to eat but willing to for her rider. They were each other's best support system, and Tyila shuddered as she shouldered some of the deep aching wrongness the green was suffering, long enough to make the thought of eating something less unbearable. "She's ready, so you can...please, quickly, if you can?" She winced, realizing she'd somewhat commanded the dragonhealer on what to do, but found she didn't care as much as she'd thought. This was her dragon's well-being in question, and surely he understood. And then, in a faint, tired voice in Drisatn's mind, the green called out, I will eat it all as fast as I can, for Tyila's sake. Thank you for this, for her more than I, healer.
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Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 7:19 pm
Dristan's heart absolutely ached for the dragon and rider both. It actually hurt to watch the pair of them in such distress, but it was a firm reminder of why he did what he did. He steeled himself, knowing that it was going to be hard on Mishaath to take the aloe down, as smoothly as it would go. It didn't taste like much without any fruit to sweeten it, but eating anything at all would be unpleasant. "As quickly as I can," he promised, working to get every last bit of the stuff down Mishaath's throat - as much as she could take, at any rate. He didn't want to make the poor thing choke, after all, or otherwise suffer beyond what was necessary.
"As much as you can handle, Mishaath. You've been a very good and brave dragon. It won't be much longer, sweet. Don't worry. You'll feel ever so much better," he said, trying to help as best as he could. He didn't care that the Greenrider had all but ordered him, as he knew any rider might have done under the circumstances. The important part was getting the dragon feeling better. Absolutely. Her comfort and well being trumped all. "You're almost finished. That's a girl." Just one more swallow and they'd be free and clear. "Just this last bit and then I promised you won't need any more."
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