[PRP] Where We Left Ourselves (Elibrie/Oranie)

[Meepfur]

There really...weren't any words for everything that had happened. And now, by this point in the night, Elibrie was in a fog, and quite frankly, could hardly string together lucid and coherent thoughts for long before they floated away in the haze. She was exhausted in every possible way, though Kesucianth at least had had opportunities to doze here and there. But the shock of what had happened to Juhvek, of watching it happen, then to Impress right in the midst of that maelstrom of terrible emotions, was a dangerous combination for her and her blue both, and had immediately been recognized as such.

While other weyrlings had rested and prepared themselves for the Feast, besotted and joyful and fussing about their outfits, Elibrie and Kesucianth had been speaking with Z'von, and then sent to a Mindhealer to be properly assessed and to begin dealing with the trauma, so that girl and dragon might begin bonding properly before failure to do so killed them both. What should have been the happiest moment and memory of both their lives was already anything but, though the damage was not so complete that it could never be recovered from.

Eventually - Elibrie had lost all sense of time for the night - they had been released to go to the Feast. She had changed out of her robes, though only into one of the plain dresses she favored for everyday wear; she had no care for feasting or dancing or mingling, she only wanted to see her sister, and Kesucianth his parents, though she was to eat whatever she could keep down of something simple and mild. They entered quietly, and Kesucianth gave boops and fond greetings to his parents, with pledges of more at a later time (they would, surely, understand his need to stay close to His after all that had happened, and he would not hesitate to fill them in on the situation at another time that was better for them all) before they began looking for Oranie.

Kesucianth, as the one seeing most clearly - literally, as Elibrie remained bleary-eyed and had accepted a gnawing headache as a side-effect of existence - sat back and raised himself up on his haunches for a better view. He had already informed the dragon of His' aunt that while they would be attending briefly, it would be best to limit His' interactions, and so while they had well-wishes and concerns to carry with them, he and Elibrie would be able to focus their time and limited energies on what was most urgent.

Tsunake

 

[Tsunake]

Donning a smiling mask and sitting quietly by herself was nothing new to Oranie. She'd mechanically made herself a tiny plate, ducking her head down as she played the role of the demure young woman, confident that no one would seek her out. This was a Feast thrown to celebrate the joining of brand new rider pairs--including Elibrie. Oranie silently pushed food about on her plate, her stomach twisted so sharply into knots that she knew with certainty that she wouldn't be able to keep down a single bite. She had no idea what was happening with her sister, or with poor Juhvek. Elibrie had vanished off the sands with her new blue in tow, and Juhvek... she didn't even know if Juhvek would survive.

Oranie swallowed the lump in her throat, unable to banish the memory of how easily he'd been snatched up and shaken, of Elibrie screaming even as the little blue had rushed forth to comfort her... There was a horrible hollowness in her middle. This was, in some ways, entirely her fault. Elibrie could be back at home, safe and unexposed to this day's horrors... but, she reasoned with herself miserably, she never would willingly put her sister in the situation she'd found herself in before coming to the Weyr.

It was mere chance that she suddenly spotted her younger sister, her fork tumbling from her hand as she immediately stood to rush over. "Elibrie!" She flung her arms around her, squeezing her as tightly as she dared before forcing herself to step back and look her over. Elibrie... looked very much how she felt--wrung out and exhausted, little more than a wisp of herself. The urge to ask her how she was feeling died on her lips, for it seemed like an incredibly stupid question.

Her eyes slid to the small dragon at her side, wondering briefly if she should curtesy. He was beautiful, and fresh pain squeezed at her heart. This should have been the happiest day of their lives, and instead... well, it wasn't. "What can I do?" She asked, painfully aware of her own inability to do anything in this situation. It wasn't right. She should be able to shield her little sister from this, keep her safe and protected.... but Elibrie was a dragonrider now.

Unfortunately, all Oranie could see right was a girl who was on the very brink of something awful.

Meepfur

 

[Meepfur]

Elibrie had long since wrung out every laat tear she had, or else she might have cried at the sight of her sister, let alone the hug, into which she would collapse for as long as it lasted. While the Mindhealer had, obviously, been gentle and comforting in their own way, but it was not the same as having her sister. She felt poked and prodded, having had to lay bare her emotions to a stranger, kind as they'd been, when that was something she had just never done with anyone except Oranie, and even then she had often been inclined to hold certain things back. Fighting past long-ingrained restrictions on how she ought to feel and what she ought to do with feelings that did not fit in that tiny little box of what was allowed was incredibly hard, especially with...with these feelings.

Kesucianth watched with warmth in his hearts as the sisters embraced, feeling and savoring the balm that it was to His. Those tasked with helping had indeed helped, or begun the work of it at least, but this love healed in a different way, and that she was soothed soothed him as well. When Oranie looked to him, though some hints of yellow-gray lingered in his eyes, purple was at least the dominant color, and he moved forward to nuzzle both of the girls.

When Oranie asked what she could do, Elibrie had trouble forming an answer. Asking for things had always been hard for her, but besides that, she was just so frayed that putting the thoughts together was a feat in and of itself. "I...I don't know," she finally answered after a long moment, her voice a perfect match for how she looked. "I just...want to be with you."

Perhaps if we sit, Kesucianth suggested gently. She is to eat, as well, but there will be time for that. He hesitated somewhat to say it, to almost-but-not-quite request that Oranie help with such, but he knew that if he did not mention it, she would forget, and while he would have fetched her food immediately if he were able...he was a baby dragon, and completing that task properly was not within his capabilities.

She was trying her very, very hardest for him, he knew, and she was being very brave - just as she had been when she had accepted him in spite of everything. So he was doing his best to take care of her, and stay steady for the both of them. He was absolutely devoted to staying with her, no matter what; she had been brave enough to let him in, and he would be strong enough to weather all of this. He owed her that, for not sparing her from it in the first place. And for sheer love of her.

Tsunake

 

[Tsunake]

She felt an unpleasant burning sensation in her nose and eyes when Elibrie finally replied--her poor sister seemed so broken. Oranie firmly quashed her own feelings for the moment, summoning up a gentle smile she didn't feel. For now, she could absolutely be strong for Elibrie's sake. Faranth knew her sister already had enough to deal with. "Then you can stay with me." For as long as she could. Before too long, as loathe as she was to separate herself from her sister, sleep might do Elibrie a world of good.

"Oh--" She could have smacked herself in the forehead, shooting an extremely grateful look to the baby. "Yes, of course. Come here, I already have a plate." Untouched, even! And if it wouldn't do, she could easily fetch another one filled with some of Elibrie's favorites. It occurred to her that she didn't even know the poor dragon's name yet, but there would be time for that. Gently holding her sister by the hand, she led her back to her quiet corner. If anyone even looked as though they were interested in coming over, by Faranth, she'd pin them with the fiercest expression she could muster. Not right now, thank you.

"Sit." She said gently, settling nearby while pointedly pushing the plate in Elibrie's direction. "Eat a little something, if you can." She was certain it was probably the last thing Elibrie felt like doing, but she needed to keep her strength up--not only for herself, but for her dragon, as well.

Meepfur

 

[Meepfur]

Kesucianth shadowed the girls closely as Oranie guided Elibrie to the quiet place she'd been occupying, right on their heels not out of paranoia but a genuine want to be as near as possible, providing all the love and support he could - not only to His, but to Oranie. He well knew she had been through much the same trauma that His had, and though whether by virtue of different natures or experiences she was weathering it differently, he knew that she must hurt as well. And for him to then take her sister away, leaving her on the Sands alone...

And still she jumped to take care of her sister's needs, putting them before her own. While Elibrie's love for her was on its own enough for the blue to love her as well, his hearts now swelled with deep appreciation and fondness. And though his focus was and would always be His, her family was now also his, and he would care for them as he could.

Once they were seated, he considered the situation and logistics for a moment, and then very carefully climbed onto the bench beside Elibrie before gently moving to lie across her lap..and rest his head in Oranie's. It was a touch forward by his standards, perhaps, but in this way he hoped he could provide some small comfort to His' dear sister as well. Still more of the worried colors bled from his own eyes. Thank you. The simple words were awash with love and gratitude.

Hearing those words - stay with me - further soothed much of what remained of the raw hurt and uncertainty. Kesucianth was nothing short of amazing, a bottomless well of love he was so ready and happy to give to her, and he had done so much for her already in this short time, but she had needed to see her sister, to hear her and know that she was okay (or at least as okay as anyone could be). It lifted one of the heavy weights from her heart, and once they were all three settled at the table, Elibrie leaned into Oranie. She had Hers, and she had her sister - one piece was missing, one hurt remained, but in the meantime, this...this was was enough. This was good. One step at a time, one piece at a time. Deep breaths.

"I'm sorry. None of this is how we thought it would be, is it?" She did begin to investigate the contents of the plate, and since it was what she was supposed to do, and what Kesucianth and Oranie wanted, she did take a nibble of a piece of bread.

That she'd never even told her sister her dragon's name didn't occur to her, nor even to courteous Kesucianth, but it had been...A Day.

Tsunake

 

[Tsunake]

She watched carefully as Elibrie took a seat, finding herself smiling as the young blue carefully pulled himself up onto the bench so he could settle in her sister's lap. Despite how awful everything was currently, Oranie felt her heart melt at the unexpected weight in her lap. Those beautiful eyes gazed up into hers, and, temporarily forgetting herself, she nearly reached out to stroke his head. "You're very welcome." She murmured, touched. But of course--he was part of Elibrie now. Together, they would help patch her back together.

Oranie wrapped an arm around Elibrie's shoulders as her sister leaned into her, offering a reassuring squeeze. "I know. I feel like that's the way life is, sometimes." She forced a smile on her face. "My marriage, for example." She rarely spoke of it, often brushing past or changing the subject whenever she was able... but it had certainly not been the perfect dream she'd grown up believing it would be. "But we'll get through this, no matter what happens." They hadn't been raised to think of themselves as strong, but Oranie now realized they hadn't been raised to think about many things at all.

Satisfied that Elibrie was at least attempting to eat, she turned her attention back to the pale little blue currently touching them both. "What's his name?" She asked, now able to better admire the dragonet. "He's so handsome." And she meant it, her eyes wandering over his beautiful markings and just how wonderfully pretty his pale color was.

As for girls being on blues... Well, if they weren't supposed to be, then the dragon clearly wouldn't have picked them! Oranie was extraordinarily proud of her sister, even if she'd been unable to say as much in the moment.

Meepfur

 

[Meepfur]

"I always thought...or hoped, at least, that people got what they deserved. If you worked hard, if you were good..." That life would reward you somehow. But if that were true, Juhvek would be sitting here with them, not lying in the infirmary, fighting to even live. But she tried to pull herself away from that thought for the thousandth time, and just barely managed by focusing on the topic that Oranie so rarely went into. "I'm sorry it wasn't how you wanted it to be." Elibrie had gathered that much for a long time now, though she'd never pressed her sister to discuss it. "But I am glad we that we at least ended up together again."

Maybe it was selfish, but it was true. She'd missed her sister terribly while she'd been gone, and uncertain as she'd been about accepting Search, at least it had meant staying with Oranie.

"Kesucianth," she answered, affection warming her voice and lighting her tired eyes as she gazed down at the baby dragon - her baby dragon - because she did adore him, really and truly. "He's perfect, he really is. I never- I never thought a dragon would actually want me."

Said dragon gave a soft hum, the closest he'd been to content all night. You were just waiting for me.

Tsunake