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O'asis hadn't felt so great himself when he'd found out that Kyllae had been whisked off by the Healers. He'd known that things were happening on the Sands - but by the time they'd started happened, he'd already been fawning over Uktenath, and his main concern hadn't just been that people were getting sick, but that people getting sick might worry his bronze.

He'd been silly, of course. Uktenath was observant, and while he was concerned about what had happened, it was only so far as he did not want it to affect either his bonded or the others important to him. And when he'd found out that one of O'asis's friends - friends being a strange term to understand, people that were important without being necessarily strategic... Uktenath wanted to understand this better, he felt it might be important - had gotten sick, they'd both agreed, it was best to visit her as soon as they could. O'asis from concern, Uktenath from... curiosity.

So they were at the infirmary. And after spending an inordinate amount of time fielding off despairing accusations of "You haven't hurt yourself again, have you?" and equally despairing cries of "Faranth, why did you let that Trader Impress a bronze?", O'asis learned two things. First of all, having merely Impressed Uktenath was not going to get him any respect around here - but second of all, nobody was going to stop him from walking in now that he was a bronzerider, anyway. At least, it wouldn't until he ran into someone with Zara's mettle - and hopefully he'd have had a good visit before such a person would come.

"Kyllae?" He'd nearly walked past the room before recognizing the girl laid out on a cot. She didn't look too bad, at least - other than the fact it'd probably been a while since she'd washed up, she hardly seemed sick at all! Encouraged, O'asis went barging in the room. "So, this's where they've got you holed up!"

His bronze shadow followed, settling back onto his haunches a short distance from the bed, saying nothing.

Uktenath seemed momentarily alarmed, glancing up at O'asis. You did not tell me we were here to rescue anyone, he told His flatly. It wasn't that the bronze would refuse such a mission - if they were to do it, there was surely reason, after all - but he would have liked to know before now!

O'asis just laughed, though, and the little dragon seemed to relax a smidgeon. "Not here for that, no," the blond assured Uktenath. "Alas, that I could! But there's at least four Healers between here and the exit that I think could take me in a fight. Better to pay a visit to the prisoner today, and save the rescue expedition for when no one's looking." He smiled at Kyllae, eyes twinkling. "When do you suppose that might be, anyway?"

Reassured, Uktenath returned Kyllae's nod at last, just bowing his head by the faintest of degrees. He was still studying her, perhaps more intensely now than before. He hadn't met with anyone remotely like her yet, and he hadn't sorted out what to think of her. O'asis liked her, at least, and that should be enough for him... shouldn't it?

"Still look a fair bit prettier than me, so I'll reserve judgment," O'asis assured the Dolphineer, grinning and taking his spot on her bed. "How are you feeling? Better by now, I'd hope?"

"It's a plan, then," O'asis declared, needlessly dramatic. "In two days, I'll return and rescue you!" Uktenath looked at His doubtfully. Kyllae did not seem to need rescuing, and he murmured this carefully to the blond; but O'asis just grinned more ferociously than ever. "And Uktenath will help, of course. He needs to learn about this type of thing." That much he was serious about, at least. Uktenath could benefit from a dose of theatrics and unnecessary trouble-making, let alone that they'd be helping a friend! Helping her regardless of the fact, which Uktenath was sure of but O'asis more dubious, that she might not need help at all. The little bronze could use a few more friends, O'asis thought, but he didn't see much use for them yet beyond that O'asis found them important; a bit more time, a bit more experience....

"Just honest," the bronzerider insisted cheekily, knowing well that it was what she'd want to hear. Though in his private opinion, she really didn't look all that worse for the wear - it wasn't like that figure had disappeared in just a few days, and her smile was just as vivacious as ever, and....

And I've got other things to think about first, O'asis reminded himself sternly. Uktenath was already looking at him in confusion, catching glimpses of his thoughts and not knowing what to make of them. And for the first time since their visit, O'asis had to force himself to think about what wasn't attractive about Kyllae, watching her as she turned to get something from beneath her bed, studying her at her most awkward angles. Start with the hair, and rumpled bedclothes; remember that she was sick, and probably teeming with snot and mucus and phlegm. Or seconds away from vomiting, or something that only Faranth knew.

You are strange, Mine, Uktenath said dubiously, following the change in O'asis's surface thoughts with uncertainty, but accepting their change. A small sigh of mental relief, and O'asis was calm. He would need to be more careful around Kyllae, it seemed; just until Uktenath was older, and then maybe....

"You want it?"

It took O'asis a split second to realize what he was looking at within the pot, being offered from it. Her finger was addressing the little blue egg, one among the three. His eyes traced its path, then flew up to her. Wide, disbelieving, questioning. "... Huh?" he asked articulately, before staring again at the egg.

A little blue flit egg. Good size, good color. Well-cared for. In perfect health.

And she was offering to just... give it to him? Just like that? There'd been a time, not so long ago, that it would have taken every mark he owned, and then some, to even dream of seeing a flit hatch. And how he'd come since then, that a friend could hand one to him as a careless favor....

The ex-Trader seemed to have lost his voice.

His ambitions were so transparent, then? Before Impressing Uktenath, O'asis hadn't known how far he was determined to go. He only had ideals on his mind, change, things that needed to be seen through while there was still time for them to be done. He'd known that there would be power that he would need, station he would have to acquire, and he'd known - or hoped, when his faith was weaker - that becoming a dragonrider was the way to get it. Weyrleader, on the other hand, had been something that was too far off to grasp for. His thinking had been bent to manipulations, demonstrations - everything within his power at the moment, what he could reasonably hope for.

But then Uktenath had come to him. And more than ever, he came to realize that there was no limit on what he could achieve, now that the little bronze was at his side. And Weyrleader - of Ista, or of another Weyr....

The dragon went through a set of parallel, but unique, calculations. He'd always known that O'asis would rise to the highest rank that could be afforded to him - because together, they were of unstoppable caliber. But Kyllae saw it too, and that interested him. Accept it, Mine. Uktenath's eyes were a vivid blue. He was certain already; he wanted His to remain close to this girl. She could prove helpful.

"Can't imagine how I'd forget you, anyway," O'asis found his voice at last, urged on by the bronze, "egg or no. And apparently, Uktenath thinks it's a good idea, so...." He kept strong eye contact and smiled. Not one of those bold, dashing smiles that he threw around so freely; nor the cheeky, grinning ones he gave secretively to friends. This one was gentler, but sure, and wholly sincere. "Thank you."

Kyllae was right, undoubtedly, about there being something he could borrow to swaddle the egg in. And if there wasn't, shards, he'd just be going back to his weyr shirtless - better he catch a chill than the egg! But for now, it would be warmest in the pot, so he motioned the thought away, beating down the childishly greedy voice that told him now, now, before she changes her mind, take it! "Better it stay warm with its sisters for now, and I'll take it when I go," he repeated his thoughts aloud, just in case he should be tempted to fall into weakness. His head was already going wild with possibilities, and a few memories thrown in for good measure....

"Trouble? Me?" O'asis broke from his thoughts in order to afford Kyllae the most injured look that he could scrounge up. The expression was deliberately artisan, with too-wide eyes and an over-visible heave of his chest. "Such an opinion you have of me.... Of course, it's completely correct."

We have not gotten into any trouble, Uktenath objected stiffly.

"Ah - but as Uktenath points out, we haven't actually gotten into trouble for anything," the blond grinned, "and neither should we ever, since all we're doing is in the best interest. Which doesn't mean it isn't trouble, of course, just that it's a good sort. You want the boring details?"

O'asis hadn't come here with the thought of recruiting Kyllae, really. He'd come to visit a sick friend, share in some good fortune. Not promote his own projects. But now, since it was Kyllae and she'd asked....

Smirking, he leaned in to speak with her conspiratorily. Reflexively, Uktenath began watching the door, his ears pricked, poised to catch any would-be snoops.

"It's called the Ista Liberation Army," he began. "This sickness, you know. It spread because there's too many people here. We're packed in too close, and it's only a matter of time before something hits that does worse than lay a few people down a couple days. Some people have been pushing for a new Weyr, but not everyone's gotten the message that it's needed as badly as it is," O'asis told her, gesturing vaguely upwards to signal those people in high authority.

"So we need to get the message out. Subtly. By making the overcrowding problem look as bad as it really is. Small things, you know; causing traffic, making messes, lowering the quality of our work... nothing that couldn't happen accidentally, and nothing that wouldn't happen if we weren't all such careful, mindful Weyrfolk. But things that everyone feels, and the culmination of which...."

He let his words hang in the air, grinning, searching Kyllae for the expected approval.

And instantly, O'asis beamed his approval. He'd known that Kyllae would be up for it, he just had! The cause was good, the methods were interesting... there was no way that she'd have backed down from a good challenge, even if there were some obvious risks involved with it.

Uktenath, too, was satisfied. This visit had been productive after all; had His known that it would be? But no; if O'asis had planned this from the beginning, he would have told the bronze. This was either good fortune, some coincidence to the thing that O'asis had really come here for, or else something that Uktenath simply did not understand yet.

O'asis was already thanking Kyllae, cheering her on, lavishing her with his excitement and gratitude; "Ha! That's what I like to hear. Once you're better, we'll get you out of here, and then--"

Mine, Uktenath put in, and O'asis's attention swerved almost instantly from his sick friend. I itch. We should go now.

"... Whoops. Uktenath needs me for a while, Kyllae." O'asis's smile was more apologetic now; he would have liked to stay longer, work on some plans with her, discuss strategy. For now, though, it looked like that would wait for another time.