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 Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 8:57 am
Kindra was in the kitchens, she'd ventured down to grab some fresh scraps of meat for her newest flit, hatched just the day before the silly, tiny green seemed to always be hungry. As she got there a drudge was preparing a bowl of meat chunks to take to the Infirmary. Kindra smiled "I'll take that down, i need to feed this monster anyway, might as well help out" she said "I have nothing else to do" she added, taking the bowl from the drudge without letting her answer.
A little while later she entered the Healer's tent and was greeted with a nod and a smile from the 'resident' healers. They knew her well enough by now and pointed in the direction of a man with two young flits. She looked over and remembered seeing him during her visits, this was the first time he'd been awake though and she noticed just how worn he looked, his eyes were sunken and he was thin but there was a fierce light in his eyes. She was told he was a Master Healer and his name so she went over with the bowl.
"Master Bereck, good to see you're awake" she said "I've got some meat here .. for your flits if they're hungry?" she said, her own little Green creeling at her. "Shush.... you'll get yours" she murmured to her, she still needed to figure out a name for the small green. She pulled the nearest chair out and sat down next to the man's bed, since, by now, the green was trying to climb down her shoulder "I hope you don't mind.. she only hatched yesterday" she said, even though her tone wasn't really that apologetic.
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Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 9:45 am
The firelizards were a welcome distraction from pain and boredom to say the least, and each presented him with its own challenges.
The first he'd impressed and yet the younger of the pair was a crimson; as an atype she was tiny and frail, struggling somewhat to eat and with delicate paper-thin hide. She was at least drinking well though, and currently had her nose in a little bowl of water which rested on a try on his lap. The second flitt was a brown, a couple of weeks old by his best guess, that Berath had found all alone and half dead from starvation. The issue with the brown was not so much that - he'd gained weight already - as much as his rough and cracked hide that was mildly infected in places. Overall however he was pleased with how the pair of them were doing, even if it was a little strange having too more minds in his head all of a sudden and ones so very preoccupied with food at that. On the plus side their hunger made him a little hungrier, which in turn made eating a bit less of a tiresome chore.
When Kindra entered Bereck was preoccupied with the brown (he really did need to settle on names for them both), gently cleaning and applying ointment to his sore but pretty hide; the pattern of it almost reminded him of a network of blood vessels, so maybe he could come up with a name from that. A sudden cheep and surge of curiosity from the crimson distracted him from his task and musings however, and he looked up to see a young woman with a bowl and a firelizard.
Humph.
Well her offer was welcome, but the way she just invited herself to sit by his bed was not; who did she think she was? He wasn't sure whether to admonish her for her presumption, thank her for the meat, or both; decision making even on such a simple level was still remarkably taxing and laborious. "They're always hungry," Bereck replied eventually as the brown squirmed out of his grasp and scrambled over to the edge of the bed to get a closer look at the stranger and strange flitt.
It was at that point that Bereck worked out who the girl thought she was. Gold shoulder knots; Benden's junior goldrider, or the one who had come to Trine at any rate. Who she thought she was, or at least what she thought she was, was 'important'.
"Thank you young lady," he went on after a short pause, his tone unchanged from before he'd noticed the knots. As he spoke he extended a thin hand towards her to take the bowl, noting with a slight purse of his lips that he was trembling slightly; he was extremely tired of being this weak.
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Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 11:21 am
Kindra gave Bereck a smile and stroked her little Green, she really was a tiny thing. "It's alright, i come down a lot with the bowls, the Healers have enough to do without having to worry about feeding newly hatched flits. She looked at the brown that scrambled over and her face softened at the small young thing "Hey there, i bet you're hungry aren't you?" she said, her tone wasn't babyish, she hated baby talk for flits.
"How are you doing? You're looking stronger every day, it's good to see you're awake" She held out a piece of dripping meat towards the brown before looking back up at Bereck "Not many would have survived what you went through, i'm glad we didn't lose a valuable Weyrhealer" she meant we more as in Pern, but she'd let Bereck interpret it how he felt he would. She didn't exactly ignore the crimson flit but the brown was more forward, and right there so he was the one she concentrated on .. besides her own Green that is.
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Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 11:58 am
Knowing that she had watched him closely, while he had been asleep and possibly twitching and muttering, was more than a little disquieting. He felt like an exhibit in a freak show. It didn't help that she apparently knew things about him, but she was a gold rider and so of course any information she asked for people were only too glad to pour at her.
And now she was trying to feed his firelizard for him. Bereck's lips pursed into a thin line as the brown reached forward eagerly, grabbed the meat, gripped it in his jaws and scrambled over to the crimson to share. Dripping as the meat was, it dripped on the sheets.
"I'd rather feed them myself," Bereck said (the flitts ripped the little piece of meat in two) unsteady hand still extended towards Kindra. "I'm trying to instil some training into them." Having gulped down the food initially presented to them both firelizards moved back across the bed and lent out towards Kindra, cheeping and chattering. Bereck sighed. "Trying."
And what exactly was he supposed to say to her questions and statements? The discomfort at knowing she had been watching him still churned in his stomach; he hated this situation, this complete lack of any semblance of independence or privacy. "I'm doing as well as can be expected," he went on eventually, tetchily, not actually wanting to think about it; the pain, the awful state some of the wounds were still in. "If I'd known watching me was so interesting I might have charged admission." Maybe she was trying to be magnanimous, taking an interest in The People, he didn't know or even much care about that. A stranger, not even a healer, had been watching him sleep and passing judgement; no matter what that judgement was it made him feel ill to know one had been passed while he was unaware and helpless.
"You can put my survival down to stubbornness," he added shortly, "And I've got too much work to do to go around wasting time with things like dying." Shards, from now on he might just have to make sure somebody he knew was around while he was asleep. He didn't for a moment think the golden girl would harm him, but that didn't change that fact that he felt as if his privacy had been violated by the entitled little chit.
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 12:17 pm
Kindra had more eavesdropped than actively sought information about Bereck, the fact he'd fought a Wher, had wounds like he had and survived, despite being a Healer or Weyrhealer, gave him a lot of respect in Kindra's eyes and she recognised that Malvren had a really good, if not great healer in him. The fact he was also bonded to a Dragon was a welcome bonus, which again, earned him more respect from her.
The little brown had snatched the meat from her hand before she'd had time to pull it back at Bereck's words. She understood the need for training, she had her Gold but the little newly hatched Green could be a handful if the tiny creature had it in her mind to do something or wanted something, without Fury, Kindra didn't know what she'd do with the thing sometimes.
She thought he was joking about charging admission, it sounded like a joke so Kindra gave a small smile, one that wasn't entirely sure about the tone but tried to be pleasant if it HADN'T been a joke. The man had been ill, severely wounded, he could be forgiven if he was a bit tetchy, plus, he didn't even know her so she supoosed she would just assume it was a joke. "I'm sure you'd be quite broke" she replied, still keeping that small smile on her face "I don't exactly sit watching you Weyrhealer but i am glad that you seem to be on your way to fighting fit"
"I'm glad to hear it, Trine will need you i'm sure" she paused "But only when you are fit and well enough to assume regular healer's Duties of course" she smiled a little wider, she couldn't quite get the feel of this man, was he joking with her? .. or was he irritable, she didn't know what was normal for him either but she WAS trying to be a 'good little goldrider' as she'd heard from one or two Bronzeriders that had cause to be on the end of her lashing tongue before their comments were overheard... as well as after. She knew she didn't quite fit in at Trine, her views on the atypes, Suunath's smallness, her temper... as much work as a Goldrider had to do, she still felt like a spare part in a Weyr that didn't really need her, she wanted home where she had her cool stone walls to reassure her, Trine was too open... too hot all the time.
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 12:33 pm
Bereck gave up on the bowl of meat and allowed his arm to drop back onto the bed, scooping the firelizards back towards him in the same movement and sending them very stern thoughts of stay.
The gold rider was... being pleasant. He had to admit that, much as he wanted to dislike her on principle for being a privileged little chit from an outmoded Weyr. "Well, yes, I suppose Trine will," he muttered, a little thrown off balance by having his Grump deflected. "It will have to wait a while for that though, I don't anticipate being out of here any time soon.... You're Kindra, aren't you?" He supposed he could stretch to calling her by name; it would be unreasonable of him not to. He wanted to be unreasonable, but that was childish.
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 12:42 pm
Kindra's smile, while it didn't really change in size, seemed a little more genuine than before, her eyes softer as she looked at him. "Oh i'm sure you'll heal up in no time now you're awake and have the flits to keep you occupied" she felt a little bad for him as, stuck in here as he was, he couldn't be with his dragon, she couldn't imagine being so close to Suunath yet not able to just walk out and just BE with her.
She was surprised her knew HER name, perhaps the healers had told him about her visiting or something, she didn't know "Yes, i'm Kindra" she replied, schooling her surprise from her face as quickly as it had come. "I'm sorry about Malvren" she said slowly, while she wasn't really sorry about the loss of the Weyr, she understood how it felt to have been torn away from everything you knew, helpless to prevent it but fighting all the same to at least TRY, so she could share a little of the man's pain there.
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Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 10:47 am
He really did dislike how so many people decided to be 'nice' and tell him he'd heal swiftly when he knew perfectly well that he would heal slowly, and never completely recover. "Thank you for the platitude," Bereck replied flatly, "but I think I'm better placed to judge when I'll get out of here than you are." The worst of it people thought that they were being nice and were trying to make him feel better; all he ended up feeling was desolate.
"You needn't look surprised," he added, having caught the brief flicker. "Everyone knows the names of the twin golds and their riders; I had a fifty fifty chance of correctly guessing which one you were." He could have just let her wonder how he'd known, but he was naturally predisposed towards explaining things rather than trying to hoard secrets....
Malvren.
"Mmh." Bereck's lips pressed together. "I'm rather sorry about it as well. I'm sure you can imagine, having lost Benden yourself." He was going to miss the marble halls, the ocean, the cool breezes. Hot bright humid Trine was no trade at all for his lifelong home.
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Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 10:55 am
Kindra had to chuckle "of course Masterhealer Bereck" she said, "The Weyrhealer would know best of course" she added with amusement, pleased that the old man had the spirit to tell her straight out, not many did without risking her wrath but Kindra didn't mind, he was a Healer.. THE Healer so he would know better than she. Sure she could help the healers with emergency stuff and have Suunath calm the dragons but TRUE Healing, well .. Kindra respected that, without a man like Bereck, her mother would have died during childbirth so she appreciated the skill the man must have to be both a Masterhealer AND Weyrhealer.
"Aaah, well at least our fame didn't get us killed back then" she said with a slight catch in her throat, she had no idea what happened to Isley and Kheth, she didn't think they'd died though, Suunath would have known that much.
She looked down when he spoke of Malvren, caught his tone despite his tight lips. "Yes... there's much i miss but we'll get our homes back someday Bereck" she said, her tone uncertain but her eyes blazed a need to win their home back someday.
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Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 11:07 am
"Yes, I would." He did... not that he was a Weyrhealer anymore. He was going to have to answer to Trine's once he was well again; the thought was nearly unbearable. He knew that was prideful of him but he had worked so hard for his position, had sacrificed everything save his relationship with Aleck in order to attain it. He'd lost Alina over the obsession, didn't really have anyone to call a friend and all of that was for nothing now.... And that really was shallow and arrogant of him; the time he had poured into his craft made him a shaffing good healer, and wasn't that more important to him than the knots he had? If it wasn't then he was a hypocrite.
"Survival is something to be glad of," Bereck said grudgingly after a while, "and perhaps you're right, perhaps we will get our homes back. I don't think it likely but its not beyond the realms of possibility."
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Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 11:17 am
Kindra was grim faced "I know we'll get them back Masterhealer Bereck, we will... i promised Suunath we'd go home someday" she stated, "we're not going to let them win" she almost growled the words. "I know Benden and Malvren never really got along but ... Masterhealer Bereck, i swear that one day, we'll retake our homes and drive those creatures out...and their Whers too"
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Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 11:26 am
Ah, the impetuous nature of youth; the enviable ability to ignore facts in favour of want. From Bereck's exhausted, cranky, cynical perspective the girl was only about half a step away from stamping her little foot and screaming until she got what she wanted. Or perhaps biting, from that growl in her voice.
"I can tell you really believe that," Bereck replied - that was as close to diplomacy as he was capable of getting in his current frame of mine. "I hope you're right," he added after a moment, "but I've lived long enough to know we don't always get the things we want no matter how much we yearn and make promises. You'd be well advised not to pin all of your future happiness and hopes on Benden." And had Benden not fallen, in a few short months this foolish girl could have been supreme ruler of said Weyr; preposterous, but true.
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Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 9:35 am
Kindra's face darkened a little bit, "yes... yes i do, Someday those tunnelsnakes will pay for Benden... Malvren too" she said, frowning at Bereck's words. It didn't help that he was sounding out her worries, that she might never return home to Benden and she didn't like it, she'd tried to keep such thoughts pushed away.
"Thank you Master Bereck.... " she gumbled "If you wish to feed the flits yourself i'll just leave the bowl here... when you are done there are others that have young flits that will need the bowl, I hope you heal quickly and can get back to your duties as Healer yourself" she added, her tone clipped, trying to keep her temper but she DIDN'T need a lecture, she'd only been trying to cheer the man up, give him something to believe in as he was bedbound, shells she didn't HAVE to bring the bowl for the kitchens either. She wished the man would have stayed unconcious....
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Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 11:29 am
"Have I hit a nerve?" Bereck asked, not that he really needed an answer. "I'm simply advising you to think about the possibility. If you prefer to avoid that," typical girl with her head in the clouds, "perhaps you could consider how you will get Benden back and how you will make them pay. Saying you'll do it is all very well, but words are nothing if that's all you've got."
She was young, probably younger than Aleck. A part of him felt sorry for her, while other parts dismissed her alternately as a stupid slip of a girl and a stupid slip of a girl who had been given power she didn't deserve.
Shifting slightly in bed Bereck added; "Would you prefer I lied, Kindra? Would you like me to just tell you what you want to hear?... Have a lot of people agreed with you since you Impressed?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 11:35 am
Kindra rounded on Bereck "You think i haven't considered it?" she snapped, then tried to calm herself down, there was no point in getting angry, the man was sick, still recovering from a savage Wher attack and if she hadn't had helpers, she might have been in a similar state to him right now. "How can come later Masterhealer Bereck, after we have helped Trine rebuild.. i wonder if Malvren would have been as welcoming of Benden riders, Trine deserves my attention right now" she reasoned, both to him and herself as to why she hadn't really been making any plans.
"I prefer you do not echo my own thoughts out loud Bereck" her eyes glittered "A lot of people agreed beforehand as well. Yes i am used to people doing as i say but i swear on the hide of Suunath that one day... one day Benden will be ripped from the clutches of the foulness it has been drenched in" she took a deep breath "I don't know how right now but plans can come later, when we have a better idea of what we're dealing with.. here and there"
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