The Mantel... (I'fsomethingorother xD )

[Tashe]

He felt, absolutely horrible... absolutely, and completely horrible. His body felt as though it was extremely weak, something that the Brownrider wasn't used to, he'd always been in the best of health even when he was a youngling. F'rah was constantly hot, then cold, and whenever he tried to sit up, he got lightheaded and immediately had to lay back down. If maybe, he had listened to his Goldweyrling, the healers could have caught whatever he had earlier. They probably could have killed whatever sickness was ravaging his body, and even if they couldn't, they could have at least started him on treatments to make the sickness not so bad. But he had been a fool, he had convinced himself that what he had was nothing more than a simple Chill sickness, and had decided it did not deserve a trip to the Infirmary.

Rolling his head to the side as his arm lifted involuntarily, the Weyrlingmaster focused his eyes on one of his previous students, who he had conked on the head during Benden's last attack. The young Brownrider didn't have the best Bedside manner, but at least he didn't keep telling him that he'd be all right, because in truth... they probably didn't know. Grunting as the boy checked his heart beat on the inside of his wrist, F'rah tried to sit up, but was intercepted with a strong hand on his chest. "Brownrider F'rah. I might be younger than you, but as of the Fifth candle mark, you are partially my responsibility. If you will not stay down, I will restrain you with the leathers I use on my Dragonic patients and lie to Kalierre." The pressure was removed from his chest as he sank back onto his cot, although it switched to the inside of his neck, once more checking the beat of his heart. Yawning as E'rro removed his hand, the young Brownrider helped him pull his furs up around his chest, folding his hands comfortably on his chest.

The Infirmary was staffed better now that Kalierre had taken on apprentices, and he was never without a healer in the room, in fact it seemed as though each of the Apprentices had a shift that overlapped with another. Probably to allow them to inform each other of how the patients were fairing, and if he was right, a young man named Jermayan was due to arrive. F'rah had been there for a few days now, and although he was feeling immensely bad, he had begun to memorize names and faces of the healers that paid the Infirmary visits. S'rei was also in the infirmary, but he didn't seem like the most talkative chap, plus he looked pretty bad also.

"Oh. Did you know, the Weyrleader's have chosen a new Weyrlingmaster in your stead? I believe his name is I'fael, he's a Brownrider, a seasoned one at that... Ah, its the eighth Candle Mark. Ismaroth says he thinks Jermayan should be arriving... I need to finish your hourly chart before he does. Don't move to much, try and sleep. We'll administer some medicine later on, we'll also try some food."

First off, the Brownrider was surprised at how much the young Healer had just said, for it was more than he'd ever heard the boy say whenever he was around. While secondly, F'rah slowly nodded his head in response to the question. Their Junior Weyrwoman had been by earlier with the news, sad as it was, but at least he would have time when he got better to plan things for Laurie. Their positions seemed to have switched, and now, F'rah had the time to do the things his Weyrmate had done for him. At least, he could help with some of her paperwork... if she wasn't putting it off, like he could just imagine her doing. Letting out a disgruntled sigh as E'rro moved off to check on the Bronzerider, the big man nestled himself farther down into his Furs. /Maybe Rahmine, the boy is right. You should sleep, it will make you better. I do not like how you feel when you are sick, you've never been this ill before./ I know pal, I know. I'm sorry that I'm worrying you. /Its not your fault. But try and rest, do exactly what the Healers say to do. You will get better then, and then we can go riding, we could even go out over the sea. You like the sea./ Alright Styth, we'll do that. /I love you Mine./ I love you too my Brown.

[weaving]

You’re going to see him now? I think you should oil me instead I’fael simply rolled his eyes at Morendoth’s petulant whine. You sound like a whiny hatchling, you great lummox he responded, continuing on toward the infirmary. He didn’t know why, but he felt it extremely important to speak with F’rah. He didn’t want the other rider to feel as though he was stealing F’rah’s position and perhaps the weyrlingmaster would have some advice. I’fael was far more nervous about this than he let on, though if Morendoth sensed it, he was wise enough to keep quiet about it.

Entering the infirmary, he looked around, hoping to find someone who could help him locate F’rah. Help? Man need help? Not look hurt? I’fael was startled by the sudden voice and appearance of a bronze slamandyr, the creature having leapt and clung onto his shirt. It seemed to be studying him as though looking for a wound or something and once satisfied, left him, returning to the young man to him it would seem he belonged to. Said young man was looking at I’fael curiously, as though he too were surprised to see him without any wounds.

“I’m Jermayan, one of the healers currently on duty. Is there something that I can help you with?” Jermayan couldn’t quite figure out who this man was. He hadn’t seen him here before and he looked healthy enough. What would bring a healthy man to the infirmary? Perhaps he needed mind healing…? Though he seemed to show no outward signs of stress or anxiety, Jermayan knew that it didn’t mean that there was something wrong. “Anything you need is completely confidential. We can go to a more private room if you have something you’d like to discuss…”

“I…oh, no, I’m terribly sorry! I’m not here for myself. I’d actually like to see if the weyrlingmaster F’rah is in any sort of condition to receive visitors at the moment.” At first I’fael had been quite confused by the healer’s words, though once the gears in his mind began turning, everything quickly fell into place. “I’m brownrider I’fael if that helps at all.” He looked around as he spoke, studying the infirmary. Which room had they put F’rah in? Did it matter? No, of course not. In truth, the man was slightly nervous as to how this conversation might go. F’rah seemed like a good man, but he hadn’t had too many interactions with the other brownrider. He’d never had the need to before now.

“Ah, yes, I was just about to go and check on him. You can come with me if you’d like. He’s not far. He may not be up to any sort of conversation at the moment though but we’ll see what he says. He has been looking better as of late.” Jermayan had already begun walking as he spoke, beckoning for I’fael to follow. The man did so, simply nodding at Jermayan’s words and adding in the polite “mhm” when it was called for.

“Wait here,” Jermayan murmured outside of F’rah’s room before entering. Once inside he smiled to E’rro and F’rah. “Good evening E’rro, F’rah. How are you feeling? Everything is going well I hope?” The first question was directed toward F’rah, the second toward E’rro. Feel better? No more pain? Manners questioned, perching carefully on F’rah’s chest, having jumped off of Jermayan’s shoulder. The ‘mandyr absolutely adored checking up on patients, almost more than Jermayan did and being as well mannered as he was, most of the patients didn’t seem to mind the ‘mandyr’s chatter.

“F’rah, if you aren’t feeling too worn out, you have a visitor. Brownrider I’fael to be exact. He’s waiting outside right now. If you’d like, I can tell him to come by tomorrow instead.” The healer watched F’rah as he spoke, mentally assessing the sick man. He’d look over E’rro’s charts soon, but for the moment he was quite content to make his own assessment of how the brownrider was doing. “It’s entirely up to you.”

[Tashe]

He had just started to clear his head for sleep when Jermayan entered the room, confirming his previous thoughts about who was next on the shift, though E'rro had also told him that he was coming. Cracking his eyes open the Brownrider tried to smile, but his lips only succeeded in twitching upward for a moment. "Horrible, like always." Glancing down at the Bronze Mandyr, "No pain, but feeling bad." Now he was too warm. But he'd just have to suffer through it, F'rah knew he was only going to feel cold again sooner or later, and frankly... the healers had done so much for him already, something so trivial wasn't worth it. Flicking his eyes over to the youngest of the Brownriders as he began to speak, he nodded slightly, as if to agree with what the boy said.

"He's the same. Hasn't gotten better, but hasn't gotten worse. Still has a fever, complained of a headache, and I was just about to scrounge up some bland broth to see if he'll keep it down this time." Feeling his own Mandyr crawl out of his hairline to hiss at the Bronze one, E'rro tapped the ex-Weyrlingmaster's charts on his hand, using his eyes to motion to the archway. He wanted to talk more about F'rah's condition, but he didn't want to do it in front of the man, a rare act of compassion to say the least. Clamping his forefinger and thumb over Nuisance's mouth to shut him up physically, E'rro winced mentally as the Blue screeched at him over their mind bond. Curtly nodding to F'rah as he exited the small room, he gave the other Brownrider the same motion, slipping by him to wait for the Wherling to come out. It felt odd, to be working under a lower ranked boy, it was definitely going against what he grew up learning.

"I'fael? Funny, we were just talking about him." Tracking E'rro's movements until he disappeared out the door, F'rah slowly shifted under his blankets, so as not to make his head hurt. "I'm good enough to talk, as long as there isn't walking involved. You can send him in... as long as you approve." Even stringing together a sentence without pauses was a challenge... hopefully Laurie will come later on, she said she would visit him when she wasn't really busy. Pausing as he thought about what he had just thought about, F'rah sighed slightly, his brain was jumbling up things left and right.

[weaving]

Jermayan nodded to both E’rro and F’rah in response to their answers. He studied the sick man carefully himself, frowning at F’rah’s obvious discomfort. It was good that the sick man hadn’t gotten any worse but the fact that he hadn’t gotten any better only meant that they were holding the sickness at bay, not actually curing it. He chewed at his lip in thought for a moment, trying to determine the best course of action for F’rah. For now, getting something nutritional into his stomach would be good, as would be removing one of the blankets that they had bundled him in. The older brownrider looked as though he were roasting.

“Broth sounds good. It’ll give your body strength to continue fighting this sickness. Have you been drinking plenty of fluids? Water, juice?” He wouldn’t lecture F’rah on the importance of keeping his body hydrated, but sick people had a tendency to forget to take care of themselves and while he didn’t doubt the proficiency of the healers, the infirmary was quite busy during the day. Glancing back toward E’rro, he nodded subtly in agreement. This couldn’t be good if the other healer didn’t feel comfortable discussing it in front of F’rah. Manners eyed Nuisance with interest, chirping a greeting to his fellow Mandyr. The fact that the blue didn’t seem to appreciate Manners’s presence seemed to escape the bronze, who saw everyone as a friend.

“Alright, I send him in but I’ll be by again soon to check on you. If you start to feel exhausted feel free to call for me, though I’m sure that I’fael will be understanding in the fact that you need your rest.” With that the healer left, following after E’rro. He nodded to I’fael, who had been standing near the doorway nervously. “He’ll see you now. Be careful though. He doesn’t have the energy for long-winded responses so try to keep his talking to a minimum. Feel free to call for me if you feel he needs my attention.”

I’fael nodded in response before entering the room where the werylingmaster lay.”Good evening weyrlingmaster,” he spoke, nodding his head in respect. Grabbing a chair, he dragged it closer to the sick man’s bed before taking a seat. “I hope I’m not disturbing you, but I felt it only right to speak to you about the position I have recently taken. I hope that there are no hard feelings between us, as I hope that you can advise me in order to make certain that lessons go smoothly for both the weyrlings and myself.”

Sitting back, I’fael clasped his hands together, fiddling his thumbs nervously. Surely F’rah wasn’t the type to take offense easily. He really didn’t want hard feelings between himself and the other brownrider.

“So how bad is it really?” Jermayan asked, once he and E’rro were both out of F’rah’s hearing range. “I assume you didn’t want to speak privately to tell me about how much progress F’rah has been making.”

[Tashe]

"E'rro here, has been keeping me well watered up." Nodding slightly as Jermayan spoke, F'rah yawned before speaking once more. "Will do. I want to get better just as much as y'all do." The boy might be years younger than he, but F'rah knew the Wherling understood the human body in far more detail than he was required to know for Weyrling Lessons. Watching as Jermayan was replaced by the new Weyrlingmaster, the Brownrider pulled his hands from under the furs to clasp them on his chest. Quietly listening to the older man speak, he smiled at the concern I'fael was showing, comforted slightly that he was being replaced by a man that at least had some feelings. "Just F'rah, I no longer hold that rank, as you know." Switching his gaze from the door to the man, the Brownrider took in his appearance as he continued. "I harbor no hard feelings, I knew I was eventually going to be replaced, but I was hoping it to be in a few more years. But as is life, I suppose." Mostly true. He didn't dislike the man, nor did he hate him, but he was certainly saddened by the fact he no longer was able to teach new generations of Weyrlings. But... wait. I'feal was asking him for advise? "I'd be happy to. I do have a little fact, that would be helpful to know, before you restart the lessons. My current, rather, your current class has a poor record of attendance. There are four or five Weyrlings that attend the classes regularly."

--

Glancing up from the medical book he had cracked open as he waited for the Wherling to arrive, the Brownrider placed a marker in the spine before closing it, not wanting to loose his place. F'rah's charts were in his hands before Jermayan had even spoken, waving them toward the older boy, offering them up from his possession. "His fever hasn't broken at all, and its been going on since before I arrived. I took it upon myself after the first hour, to check every fifteen or so minutes. If it had broken, it didn't stay that way for long. His pulse is erratic, and frankly, his sickness doesn't fall well under most of the common ones. I've been looking for what exactly it could be, but I have yet to find it in the records." Crossing his legs as he reopened his bound scroll book to show Jermayan how far he was into it, E'rro shook his head. "I may not be advanced in human healing, but, I fear if he doesn't show improvement soon... his body will start rejecting treatments. And the medicine we're giving him, is probably the only thing keeping whatever it is at bay."

[weaving]

I’fael smiled slightly , almost sadly, at F’rah’s words. Of course the man hadn’t been expecting a replacement, and surely he hadn’t been expecting it to come from someone who was older than him. He let out a quiet breath of relief that F’rah held no hard feelings; it would certainly make this transition somewhat easier. Of course, he would have to hope that the weyrlings would react the same way, but surely they would understand. He wasn’t trying to usurp F’rah’s position. He was simply helping however possible for the good of the whole of the weyr. F’rah’s next words had his smile changing to a frown however. Weyrlings missing lessons? At best it was disrespect to their teacher and at worst it put both them and their dragons at risk for injuries that could easily be prevented by attending lessons.

“They’ve been skipping lessons? How is this usually dealt with? Repeating lessons, I assume, and extra chores perhaps? Will many of them be needing to repeat all of weyrlinghood?” This was quite disconcerting. Was the future of Selenitas to be led by riders to lazy to even bother passing weyrlinghood? “Those that do attend, how do they prefer to conduct lessons? I wish to make this as easy on them as possible, with as few changes as can be helped. I don’t think it would be easy to get a new weyrlingmaster in the middle of lessons.” I’fael worried at his lip. Perhaps he should hold a pre-lesson gathering for the weyrlings. It would give them a chance for them all to meet each other and for him to better assess them.

--

“His fever still hasn’t broken? Have we tried featherfern yet? That might help to break it…no, no, he’s already been taking that…perhaps raising the dosage…” Jermayan mumbled both to himself and E’rro as he flipped through F’rah’s chart. “No, can’t do that. His pulse is erratic, his heart is over-stressed from fighting off this disease. Shards, we’ve given him just about every combination of medication for his symptoms and all we’ve been able to do is keep whatever it is from killing him…” He glanced up at E’rro, a sudden thought crossing his mind. “Have you noticed if those who have come in contact with him seem to be showing any of the same symptoms? Whatever this is, we can’t let it spread through the weyr.”

The sudden thought was a disturbing one indeed. Without a cure, Selenitas would be decimated by this disease. He was vaguely comforted by the fact that neither her nor E’rro showed much sign of sickness, but who knew how long it would take for the symptoms to begin showing through.