Out for the Count (S'rei and friend)

[kysseh]

I'm going to flay him. Aliscia rather woozily informed her dragon, blinking her all-too-heavy eyelids. Tanith had Risen only the day before, right? It felt like an eternity ago, but then again, when one is heavily drugged and doing nothing but lying in a daze on an Infirmary bed, time seemed to flow slightly differently. The petite greenrider looked and felt like a wreck. She had not even had time to bathe properly following the Flight, though Savitri had done her a small mercy and helped her at least mostly clean off her sore body once she had arrived under the healers' care. Of course, the woman was not pleased about her current location, but she was in no shape to get up and walk out.

She glared half-heartedly down at her chest as an inhale sent a fiery lance of pain along her side. Three cracked ribs on the left side, her left arm broken in two places--once in the forearm and once on the upper arm--, a gash to the left side of her forehead, and a concussion, all accompanied by a variety of bruises, combined to pin even the tough former Bendenrider down to the bed. She was not entirely clear on the details, but upon rousing from her bed--alone, of course--she had somehow managed to trip over an offending article of clothing that was half-wedged beneath the side of her cot. Somehow, she had hit the set of drawers and then the floor. She remembered coming to in the Infirmary with Tanith screaming in utter panic in the back of her mind, Savitri's face hovering over her.

The young healer, looking less than amused, had informed her of her injuries and that Tanith had called for help. With most of the pain dulled by numbweed, Aliscia was now just awakening from a dose of fellis, gazing blearily around the little room. She was only lightly clothed beneath the blanket but could really have cared less, too exhausted and drugged to bother much with vulnerability at the moment. She did, however, have a large part of her conscious brain occupied with various threats to her recent bed-partner's health, mostly due to the fact that the troublesome articles of clothing belonged to his weyrmate. The stupid woman had arrived during the Flight, stripped to her skin, and tried to coax her man away. It was all in vain, of course, but the clothes had somehow been left. They were neatly folded--Aliscia admired Savitri's patience in that matter--and left on a chair beside her bed. Aliscia fully planned on returning them as soon as the healers released her, which would be.... tomorrow, perhaps?

Regardless, the goldling said you can not fly with me for awhile. Tanith butted in mournfully, uttering a dejected croon. The green, still fatigued from the extended effort of her mating Flight, was sprawled on her ledge in a futile attempt at rest. Tanith was rarely able to relax when Hers was in distress, and this was no different an occasion from her normal response. She had wanted to stay at the Infirmary landing platform, but she had been chased off to make room for others. Instead, she waited anxiously on her ledge, all thoughts of seeking out entertainment abandoned in favor of watching over Hers.

Aliscia grimaced at that thought. Five or six sevendays of no flying?! Granted, her head throbbed something awful, so she understood a few days at least. But still, she could fly with a headache and a bad arm! The ribs, however, were a problem, and she shifted a bit were she lie on her back, hissing at the renewal of pain. Oh, she was going to throttle that man. Or.... well, not throttle, no. She might just grump at him a little. A sudden thought occurred to her. Tanith... you didn't tell Salenth what happened... did you?

[reqqy]

S'rei glanced surrepitously over his shoulder at Faolan, still not sure what to make of the former bluerider. F'lan had been someone you generally kept your distance from, a fierce man with flashing blues - very passionate, if in a wholly unsympathetic, nasty manner. They'd never particularly liked each other, though they could work together well enough. With minimal words. And eye contact. The bronzerider sighed. He would have given almost anything to see just a brief spark of anger in the young man's eyes, but no such luck. This - this was a complete stranger. A young stranger, at that. F'lan had never seemed so unbearably youthful. It still irked the wingsecond that Shmee had been more than clear that she did not want another man sharing her weyr. S'rei didn't see what the problem was; there wasn't enough honest emotion left in the pitiable creature to inspire him to do anything to her, and an extra pair of hands might have been useful. No, what really irked him was the fact that Faolan was this way because of S'rei, and the idea of turning him out when he clearly couldn't fend for himself was repulsive to the bronzerider.

Kalierre met them at the door to the infirmary. She looked like she'd been swimming in a vat of urine. No, she didn't smell that way, and he sincerely hoped she'd be off to wash up before she touched anyone, but he wasn't about to ask what was all over her. The woman snorted at his expression. "Don't get so uppity on me. It's just a paste I'm making. And yes, it's a lot like crushing berries. Now. Where are those books I left with your sister?" Silently, S'rei stepped aside, carefully watching her expression to see if she'd notice. Kalierre didn't. Not right away. But just as she was reaching out to take a rather large stack of books from the slender man's arms, she paused. Her head whipped around, a brow rising in silent question, and S'rei merely nodded. She accepted them, searching the placid face before her, and then quietly intoned, "Thank you, F'lan."

The young man visibly twitched, a light crooning sound directing the dragonhealer's attention to a small little head peaking out from the laces of his tunic, olive green and nuzzling the man gently. Kalierre's gaze returned to S'rei, confusion written clearly on her face. "Faolan, Kali. They had him at the Gather." Her eyes widened. He saw the tremble in her hands, and mercifully stepped back between the pair.

The woman was shaking her head as all three entered the infirmary, murmuring, "I had no idea. How?"

His reply was just as soft. "It must have happened when we were searching for Shmee."

He paused as Kalierre's hand fell on his arm, the woman regarding him with that keen gaze of hers. "Don't you blame yourself for this, too, Rei." She didn't allow him to reply, instead picking up her pace and moving on ahead. Suddenly she stopped. "Your Flight partner...she tripped this morning and beat herself up pretty badly. If you care to know such things." With that, the dragonhealer disappeared.

S'rei froze. Aliscia? This morning? That had to have been right after he left! Worried, he checked the door nearest him, and, sure enough, he could just make out the woman tucked beneath the furs. Rather, he could tell by the scar on her face. It seemed she'd hit her head, too. Stepping into the room, the bronzerider glanced around, frowning slightly when he noticed that the pitcher of water was nearly empty by her bed. "You'd think they'd at least be sure to keep the pitcher full," he muttered, anger tainting his tone. He didn't know where to turn it, and that seemed as good a source as any.

Part of a face and a pair of eyes peered around the doorframe, vanishing almost before the words had left S'rei's mouth. The bronzerider was oblivious to it. Instead, he approached Aliscia's bed, kneeling beside it as he reached up and took a blessedly uninjured hand in his large palm. "Hey. You were all in one piece last time I saw you," he stated gently.

At that point, someone walked through the door. His arms were laden with soft furs, clean cloths, and a pitcher that perched precariously on top of everything else - though, to look at it, you would have thought that it was impossible for it to topple, as it didn't move at all with the man's strides. He cut a willowy figure in the light of the sun that streamed into the room, the sharp angles of his face softened by wide, attentive blue eyes and fawn-hued curls that spilled down to his shoulders. His face was peacefully expressionless, and the moment S'rei spotted him, the wingsecond cursed. "Faolan. I didn't mean you."

The young man flinched back, his eyes widening, and a few drops of water spilled on the linen he carried. Faolan looked as if he were just about ready to drop to his knees in full obeisance, and, immediately regretting his harsh tone, S'rei quickly stood, letting go of Aliscia's hand. "It's all right. Just come set it down. I'm not mad." As the boyish, skittish creature approached, the wingsecond's hand fell on his shoulder. "You don't have to do everything we say, Faolan." The young man nodded again, though it looked like he was only doing so to appease the bronzerider. S'rei couldn't suppress the sigh.

He turned back to Aliscia, trying to ignore the way Faolan had set the pitcher down and was currently spreading the clean furs over the woman with what looked like practiced ease. His hands disappeared beneath the covers, and he gently pulled the old ones from her, placing them in a pile that he clearly meant to launder. From what S'rei had observed, the boy - he had a hard time thinking of him as anything else - probably meant to do it himself. A hand came up to massage at his temple. "I think he's taken a fancy to you," the wingsecond commented, in a lame attempt at humor.

Faolan merely continued to wring out a cloth dampened by water from the pitcher. S'rei caught him by the wrist. "Faolan. Please." The dragonless man looked to him in confusion, before glancing back at Aliscia. His hands fell, but...he reached out one arm, still damp from the water, to tentatively stroke her wrist.

For the first time since he'd left the Weyrleaders' weyr, Faolan spoke. "She's hurt?" As if asking why.

[kysseh]

Aliscia heard voices, and her eyelids peeled apart just enough for her to get a fuzzy picture of the scene before her. That big man was familiar to her, and in her drugged and hazy state, she was in no condition to react to his presence. He sounded angry, though, and she twitched beneath the covers, moaning lightly in frustration at the renewed throb of pain. Oh, that was a bad idea, but she could not just lie here and let herself be-

She blinked a bit as her small hand was taken up into a much larger one, her eyes finally focusing on the large man kneeling beside her bed. The greenrider swallowed and then said something that could loosely have been translated as his name, though it was rather difficult to tell. She wrinkled up her nose. Her brain refused to obey her lazy commands, and somehow she could not force it to do otherwise. Wait... it was S'rei. Oh! She had to get on his case about those clothes, and she was about to tell him so when the abrupt appearance of another human being had her distracted. She squinted a bit, not able to tell if it was male or female. Tall, so... maybe male? No, compared to her, everyone was a giant.

Deciding that she had better ask--wait, wasn't she supposed to be angry with S'rei?--she opened her mouth to attempt to do so, promptly halting whatever she was about to say when the bronzerider's curses reached her ears. Now her eyes opened a bit more, and the greenrider flicked her eyes back and forth between the giant of a man and the timid-looking creature who was carrying an armload of.... something that was still too blurry to make out. She blinked furiously in an attempt to clear her eyes, barely noticing when S'rei let go of her hand and went to go soothe the... boy? Yes, it looked like a boy.

His gentle reassurance to the boy that he need not obey had her curious, though it was rather difficult to stay focused. The boy moved toward her, and she was suddenly alarmed, albeit still unable to command herself to move a great deal. Then a fresh set of covers was being draped over her, the old ones removed in a manner that did not even bother her bruised rips or injured arm. Aliscia was frankly quite astonished at his boldness, though it seemed he acted more automatically than out of any real courage. She flicked her drug-hazed eyes over toward S'rei, managing to arch an eyebrow at his statement. Fancy to her?! Why, by the egg, would this little--all right, not little... young--boy be interested in her at all?

"Lehhigoh." Whoops. That had come out just a bit mangled, though the message was clear enough as she gave S'rei a curious glance, unsure as to why he was accosting the boy. Her gaze was soon distracted by the young man looking at her, blinking in bemusement as he gently stroked the wrist on her uninjured arm. He was... touching her. It felt nice. It was not clinical like his motions to swap out the covers, though her drugged brain could not find a decent reason for it. Was he checking her pulse? All he'd have to do was put his ear near her head. She was sure the pounding, throbbing feeling in her skull was echoing the beat of her heart. And oh, shards, did it hurt...

His question made her offer up a light snort, though it came out stilted in her effort to not move her injured ribs. Of course she was hurt! That did bring her back to an important point, and she cleared her throat to get the men's attention, lifting her uninjured hand and pointing a finger at Shmee's clothes, folding neatly and resting on the chair. At least... she thought she was pointing at the clothes. It was rather difficult to tell with the room rocking. Shardit, this was why weyrs should not be built on the water! It made the rooms move. She attempted a prolonged explanation of the situation, but all that came out was a half-hearted "meh". Her eyes narrowed a bit in frustration. Stupid, stupid... blessed, blessed... numbweed.

[reqqy]

Man did they have her drugged up good. S'rei's face pulled a moue of sympathetic distaste. That had been his first memory of the world, as if it wasn't confusing enough to come to as a sixteen-turn-old bronzerider with no recollection of anything that had happened before and a sizeable hole in your gut. Add the drugs and he'd been more or less drifting on a sea of uncertainty for so long that it took him turns to understand what had been reality and what had been drug-induced. Of course he hadn't had the benefit of experiences leading up to it by which to judge his hallucinations. To say he'd been lost when Fort commandeered him from the healer hall was putting it mildly. Of course, S'rei had promptly been distracted from Aliscia's plight by Faolan, who was just generally aggravating. He was so submissive. Worse, it was practically the exact opposite of what he had been like before. S'rei was thoroughly convinced that, were no one to tell him to eat, Faolan would starve to death
It was painful to watch.

But as S'rei clutched the boy's wrist, Aliscia spoke, startling the bronzerider for a moment. What? Did she just tell him to let go of Faolan? But wasn't she afraid that this stranger might hurt her, or at least independent enough to not want to be babied by him? Both behaviors seemed likely from what he'd observed of the greenrider, but then, she was drugged up, which meant almost anything could come of this meeting. How she was acting now likely wouldn't at all resemble her mannerisms later. Either way, he didn't want to disturb her, so he gave Faolan his arm back. Honestly, the boy seemed gentle enough, but knowing the F'lan of old? He couldn't help but wonder if the dragonless - well, yes, he clearly had been trained and broken as a slave - man would suddenly lash out in violence. S'rei watched their interaction closely.

The boy watched her, his light blue eyes never blinking. She seemed so confused. Continuing to pet her, he wished that he could make her not confused. But how could he help her when he was confused himself? This place was strange, and they were not acting right. The big man, S'rei, kept on telling him to do things and then getting mad when he did them, and Faolan didn't know why. If S'rei would just tell him what he was doing wrong, he'd fix it! And he didn't understand what the man meant about not obeying. That was all there was. Obedience. It was easier that way. If you didn't obey, then Cherry might - Sadly, he reached down, and the little green stuck her head out and nipped at his fingers lovingly. Such a brave Cherry. Very brave Cherry. She hadn't run away. Someone had run away. Someone he loved. It left a big, huge hole, but Faolan didn't like that hole. He stayed away from it. If he got close, he'd see the shape, and it would hurt again. Someone had run away, but not Cherry. Faolan didn't want Cherry to ever run away.

He also didn't like it, to see confusion. That reminded him of his own confusion. When she drew her hand away from him, he turned aside his gaze. Yes. That was right. He wasn't supposed to feel sad for people. He was the low one. They could feel sad for him, but not the other way around, or he would be beaten, and that distressed Cherry. It was not fun, to be beaten. It was not really scary, either. It just was. But Cherry's distress hurt. He didn't like that. Though he didn't think the confused one, the injured one, would be mad, the giant might. Better not to feel sad for the confused one. Or, at least, not to show he did. Yet, when the giant frowned and moved to go where her hand pointed, Faolan slipped closer to her.

He wasn't being bad. He wasn't feeling sad for her. Just...he wanted to pet her, because she sounded hurt. That was okay, right? "Shhh," he whispered, taking her hand from where it dangled. "S'okay. Shh."

S'rei stared at the clothing on the chair. What...what was this? He picked up the shirt, bringing it to his nose. Her scent. Undeniably. His brows furrowed. Had Shmee ended up in the infirmary, too? Salenth. Aslath's. Where is she? Aslath will not talk to me, Salenth replied, picking up on S'rei's growing distress. I will try again. The bronzerider cursed quietly under his breath. This was not the time to have a jealous gold getting in the way! Yet that's exactly what seemed to be happening. S'rei moved to the door, catching the first apprentice he could find by the arm. "Get whoever's running this shift, lad." The boy nodded and moved off at a swift pace, S'rei uncomfortable with leaving Aliscia alone with Faolan when she was so out of it - and hating the fact that he couldn't just leave.

[kysseh]

Aliscia made a noise of satisfaction as S'rei released the skittish-looking young man. She relaxed into the pillow, letting her head loll slightly to one side to watch them. She was so tired, her body feeling like it was many times heavier than normal. It was so hard to think like this, when her brain was foggy. Living at Benden for Turns, she had felt like she was living in a fog, just going through the motions from day to day. This, however, was a different kind of fog, and not being able to work her limbs was frustrating. She wanted to move, wanted to respond and react, but the commands to her limbs were not getting through.

It was rather disconcerting, the way the boy watched her. He seemed so... tamed. Broken. Devoid of real genuine feeling. It confused her, though as the fellis began to wear off and she became more awake, the confusion slowly gave way to some sensibilities. He was timid, withdrawn, careful to obey. Was he a slave? She remembered the slaves from Benden, but... somehow, she could not bring herself to understand more than that. It was just too much for her drug-fogged brain to process, and she did not protest it when he came closer. S'rei was moving towards the clothes, but she was watching the boy and his little green pet, just to make sure. She would rather not take chances.

When he took her hand again, she permitted it with just a small sound pleasure. Yes... he was touching her. She should have been unhappy, but considering her hurt and frustration over the events of the last day or so, it was rather nice to be catered to. Wait... what?! She didn't need help. She was just fine alone. Why- oh... yes. She moaned softly at the sound of his comforting, turning her head to watch him with pain-filled eyes. Who was he? She wanted to ask, but her mouth wouldn't work. However, the way S'rei was moving around had her agitated, and she glanced over at the bronzerider. What was he doing? He knew about the clothes and about the leech, didn't he?

Now Aliscia frowned at her own inadequacies. She could form the story just fine in her head! Her tongue and lips just refused to cooperate, and she groaned and began to move about, trying to prop wake herself up enough to be able to be coherent. It hurt badly, but she ignored it. She needed to make herself understood before she went absolutely mad. "Fliiigh'....Sheee was th'r..." Ugh, this was so not working! Her scarred face contorted into a scowl, and she reached out and touched on her dragon's mind in a desperate plea for help, crying out in frustration at the realization that she had ruined her careful arrangement of pillows that had been cushioning her damaged ribcage. Oh shardit!

Tanith was exhausted but stirred anyway in response to her rider's plea, lightly touching on the mind of the bronze who had been so good to her. Mine wishes to tell Yours what has happened, but she can not speak well. The drugs make her feel strange, and she is getting upset. He should fix it. she told him, and if her voice had not been so filled with concern, the imperiousness of her command would have been insulting. As it was, the green was terrified and upset in her helplessness, and she was quickly reaching the point of violent agitation, especially with Hers beginning to painfully thrash about on her Infirmary bed. The fellis was done, and only the fading doses of numbweed were keeping the agony at bay. Tanith creeled in sympathy. Mine!

[reqqy]

The boy seemed to be comforting Aliscia. That was - strange. The whole thing was strange. He supposed it would have been easier to accept if he hadn't known the rider that had preceded this childlike stranger. F'lan simply wasn't like this. He didn't comfort. He didn't care. Everything was about flying and Wrenth and little else, although maybe that was why this boy was so easy to bring out of it. What was there for him, without Wrenth? S'rei had a family. He didn't know how he'd survive without Salenth, but he did know that there was something there for him if he chose to remain here - and that he wouldn't revert to this strange behavior. Or was it the training that took that initial vulnerability and formed it into something docile and wholly controllable? Just thinking about it was enough to make the bronzerider shudder. If they could steal F'lan's spirit from him...

Where was that healer? He had half a mind to bellow for Kali. His eyes darted back to Aliscia as her movements suddenly became agitated. Frowning, he couldn't really understand what she was saying, but it was more than clear that she was trying to tell him something. Equally clear that she was tearing herself apart in trying to do so. Faolan's eyes were wide and pleading with him, the boy's hands having released her. He clearly had no idea what to do, or maybe it was the blasted paces the bastards had put him through, not to lay a hand on anyone with force. Who could tell? At any rate, S'rei needed to get her to stop thrashing, and apparently that meant either crushing her - which he doubted would help all that much - or understanding what she was saying.

Salenth's head lifted again, this time at the presence of Tanith's mind. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of affection for the green, even as he shifted on the side of one of the mountains in which he'd taken refuge from Aslath's wrath. We will try, Tanith, he replied, trying to put as much reassurance as possible into the words. He might have been offended, but she sounded so very distressed. Mine, she's trying to speak to you, and because you don't understand her, she is upset. The bronze let his head fall back down onto his tail, trying not to chafe at the fact that he couldn't be close enough to help personally. They were in the infirmary anyway, right? Not like he could go in there. Yet the frustration persisted.

The bronzerider frowned, wishing he could decipher her words, but after the first attempt she wasn't saying anything else. He left his station by the door and moved closer. That was when a very pale Faolan seemed to decide that things had gone on long enough. The boy had risen, crooning in a way distinctly reminiscent of a firelizard, and knelt on the bed itself. He lifted her slightly until she was propped against him, his head buried in her neck, arms wrapped lightly around hers and around her abdomen. Lightly, though S'rei had the strong suspicion that the young man was not going to be allowing her to fling her body about wildly anymore, despite his loose hold. Faolan's hands ran down Aliscia's arms lightly.

As the wingsecond drew alongside, he could hear the quiet voice. "Sokay. You're hurting yourself. That's bad. Sokay. You're okay." The words continued for a time, like a soft undercurrent or a quiet mantra. S'rei himself didn't speak until things seemed to have calmed. He moved in to try to get at eye level with Aliscia, his voice soft as he told her, "I can't understand you, but I was also across the room. Let's try again. Say it again, nice and slow, and maybe I can get it." He kept his tone low and even, hoping she wouldn't start bucking again. That couldn't be good for her injuries.

[kysseh]

Tanith was lightly soothed by the touch of her mate's mind. Well... not hers, but she considered him hers for a time. His gentle reassurance helped to soothe her anxieties, and she passed the feeling on to Aliscia, trying to wrap her mind around Hers' in the greenrider's frustration. Hush, Mine. They will try to understand, but you can't move. Moving hurts worse. she pleaded, gratified when the fresh pain began to recede as Aliscia's movements slowed. Yes.... no moving. Pain is bad. You shouldn't hurt. Make them stop it.

In reality, Aliscia's frustrated squirms in her attempts to sit upright and speak like a normal person had been halted by the strange young man lifting her and holding her against himself. Her initial instinct had been to squirm harder out of instinct, but the feel of a face snuggled against her neck, hands stroking her arms, had overwhelmed that instinct and forced her to stop. Her breathing was labored as each inhale brought new pain, but she was still, if not comfortable. She heard a quiet voice soothing her, and she wondered yet again who the young man was, why he was so concerned. The way he was holding her was... light, gentle, but she knew if she tried to move again, he would prevent it. He had seemed almost terrified by her movements, and it bothered her to not be aware of what was going on.

However, there were more pressing matters, like S'rei finally approaching. Shardit, shardit, shardit. She knew what she wanted to say! Her mouth just refused to cooperate, and she spent a minute in silence just working her jaw, trying to get it to obey. Then, after a brief flick of her eyes at the one holding her, she focused on S'rei's face and tried again. "Weyrwom'n..." Oooh, that had come out nearly right! She swallowed, enjoying that small victory. "Wan'ed you... in th' Fligh'. Naked 'n alloveryou." Victory still. That was half the story. Now for the embarrassing and humiliating half. "Lef' 'er clothesss. I... fell over 'em. Dunno where she went,"she finally managed to get out, though it sounded awfully slurred.

Could he understand the implication? She was unsure, though she wished she could show him her own distasteful memories of his weyrmate throwing herself at him during the Flight. Sure, those memories were a little blurred in parts, but the main point was very clear. The weyrwoman had intruded, stripped naked, disappeared off somewhere, and left her clothes for Aliscia to damage herself on. Thinking about damage reminded her of her uncomfortable position, and she moved her free arm in an attempt to find the flat surface of the bed. "Put... me down, please..." she asked of the young man who held her. This was rapidly becoming more painful, and she was eager to get back to the warm softness of the bed and the pillows. Shardit, but she hated being so weak.

She fought the pain enough to get S'rei's attention, though, softly calling the bronzerider's name until she was sure he had heard her. She flicked her fingers in the direction of the one fussing over her, her brow lightly furrowed. "Who's... he?" Yes, it was a he. A not-so-gigantic, warm, gentle he. If she was in her right mind, she probably would have slapped the boy for being so bold as to touch her. Right now, she was only irritated at his fawning but grateful for the care he used. She could not seem to reach a decision on what she thought of him, and that annoyed the petite greenrider to no end. The sedatives and pain-numbing things were making her head feel funny, even through the throbbing.

[reqqy]

The bronzerider found his mind wandering after watching Aliscia's mouth work for what seemed like an eternity with nothing coming out of it. Though his eyes never wavered, his thoughts drifted to Shmee and his frustration at not knowing what had happened to her. He hoped Aliscia's 'important' information wasn't something ridiculous like, 'there's a bug on the wall.' Who knew, when it came to drugged up greenriders? Not that he could really leave just this minute anyway. S'rei was quickly coming to believe that Faolan wasn't going to intentionally hurt Aliscia, but the wingsecond wouldn't put it past the boy to do something that he didn't understand was painful. Certainly, the position he had her in couldn't be comfortable, but then, it had to be better than the thrashing, so S'rei said nothing against it.

His attention was immediately drawn back to the woman, his brow furrowing. Weyrwoman? Then Aliscia knew what had happened? Shardit, Aliscia and Shmee hadn't gotten into a fight had they? He would have thought that both women were smarter than that. No, that made no sense. Unless it was a nude fight, and much as that might be a fantasy of most men, there was no way on Pern that had happened. Her next words caused the man's face to go slack. What? She'd...why?! What insane person would do a thing like that?! And the Weyrwoman, of all people! She wasn't some child fresh from a hold. Aslath had already flown twice herself. In fact, he'd never heard of anyone crashing a Flight, much less stripping down in the middle of it. A hand drifted up to pinch the bridge of his nose as he realized that what he'd thought was merely a lust-inspired fantasy had actually happened. Shmee had been there. But - why hadn't she come looking for him yet, if it upset her that much? He'd just assumed that she'd gone about her daily duties when he arrived to an empty weyr that morning. Another thought flashed into his mind. Who had Shei, then?

S'rei wanted to take Aliscia by the shoulders and shake the rest out of her, but he resisted. The words, in the end, came all too soon. If Shmee left her clothes...He closed his eyes, feeling his heartrate quicken. She wouldn't have left her clothes. There was only one possible explanation. Actually, he was mildly surprised he didn't come to that conclusion as soon as Aliscia had said the Weyrwoman had been at the Flight, naked. What sort of little fool would stand in a room full of lust-crazed men unclothed? He couldn't even blame whoever had laid hands on her, at least not fairly. If he'd lost, and a nude woman had been within arm's reach? Flightlust wasn't anything to trifle with. Shards, though, he'd like to know what idiot had had his way with S'rei's weyrmate and then not told anyone. Unless they were still together...? It wasn't impossible. Shmee clearly was tired of him. He grimaced slightly. A small, if somewhat bittersweet, hope.

Do you want me to- No. The wingsecond took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. No. That will humiliate her. Just...maybe try Aslath again. I can try.

Faolan responded to Aliscia's command instantly, without thought. Or - seemingly without thought. But somehow, between the time he'd taken her into his arms and the moment he laid her back down on the bed, the pillows had been rearranged to better support her and allow her to partially sit up without putting too much strain on her ribs or broken arm. The boy eased away from her, his eyes trained somewhere on the floor. She didn't seem to want him there. He couldn't blame her, though, since he'd hurt her - but she was hurting herself more! No. Faolan didn't question. That's what they'd said. Cherry emerged from his tunic a little more, her tail snaking up to wrap lightly about his neck. A leg tumbled out from between the laces - a hideously twisted leg. Faolan stroked her in silence, still staring at the spot on the floor until they either sent him away or gave him something else to do.

The bronzerider jerked at the woman's voice, gray eyes snapping into focus. He glanced to the boy who, less than half a turn ago, had been one of the fiercest of Selenitas's riders. Certainly one of the best. How to explain? It was clear that, however the young man protected himself, the boy understood. At least on some level. He didn't want to distress Faolan. "He's...he was with the search party that went in search of Shmee. I thought we'd lost him. The traders had Faolan, in the recent Gather." After seeing the boy's reaction just to his shortened name, he couldn't bring himself to say it, much less the name of Faolan's lost blue. He sighed quietly. "Shmee doesn't want him in our weyr, but...I don't know what else to do. He can't look after himself." S'rei paused. "I'm sorry I brought all this on you, Aliscia."

Oh, he certainly had. If Salenth hadn't given chase, none of this would have happened.

[kysseh]

Aliscia was at first afraid that he was angry with her. He looked as frustrated as she felt, though whether that was at her or his weyrmate remained to be seen. She wondered if he had seen the woman since the flight. That thought was immediately scoffed at. If he had seen her, he would not be here. He would still likely be getting thoroughly chewed out for allowing his dragon to chase something other than a shiny gold. Nope, he probably had not seen his weyrmate yet. She watched him take in a deep breath, eyes closed, and she instinctively wanted to cringe away. She almost--almost--felt sorry for the weyrwoman. S'rei looked upset and not in the sad way either.

She made a soft noise of surprise at the immediacy with which the boy obeyed her request, though it pleased her to note that he didn't just drop her back down. No, he was careful, and she sighed softly upon the realization that the pillows had been properly rearranged. Now she was at least partially sitting up and looking at both males, her back and injured side being adequately supported. Well... he was efficient. The greenrider blinked dazedly and then lightly scrubbed the back of her good hand across her eyes, gentler with the left than the right. The left eye was sporting a spectacular bruise near the outside corner which was imitated by one up on her forehead, though that bruise was marked with a nice gash that Savitri had carefully stitched closed. She wondered how bad she looked and then decided she would rather not look in a mirror for awhile. She wasn't vain, but she really did not relish the thought of another scar right now. She had plenty as it was.

Her nearly-gold eyes flicked over to S'rei at his sudden movement, wondering why he was so bothered by the query. She had a right to know who was fussing over her, didn't she? Granted, she could not exactly protest, given that the manboy's intentions seemed.... good. Shardit, but she should not have allowed them to drug her. It was messing up her normal mental functions, and Aliscia wanted those working now more than ever. She listened in silence to his explanation, and her foggy mind filled in the appropriate blanks. Dragonless. Slave. Probably broken by Benden masters. Her gaze softened as she turned now to look at the young man, and she felt a pang of fear as she realized how easily that could have been her, how easily she could have lost her precious, incorrigible beast of a mindmate. It hurt to even think about it.

S'rei's next words had her surprised, and she turned her head slightly to look back at him, letting out a soft sigh in response. Of course his weyrmate would not want the other man around. Did the woman have an ounce of empathy in her selfish body? Probably not. Was that a cruel thought, made more cruel by the fact that Aliscia was biased to dislike the woman for landing her in this unenviable position? Yes, it was. But, she was hardly going to feel guilty about disliking the weyrwoman, not when she had gotten one fantastically enjoyable Flight out of it. Injuries aside, she was glad for it. "I'm not..." she managed quietly, flicking him a bit of a smile. Oh, they'd discuss the injury issue later, but... really, what healthy woman could protest such an energetic tumble, even when it was dragon-incited?

She looked back over at the bo- at Faolan, watching as a little green... firelizard?... emerged from his tunic. She looked... injured. Between his almost emotionless silence and the green's injury, the whole situation made Aliscia feel distinctly ill at ease. Her heart went out to the young man, or whatever was left of her heart did. If the weyrwoman didn't want him....

The petite woman groaned softly and covered her face in one hand. She could not believe she was doing this. "He can stay with me...." Oh, now her mouth was mostly obeying! She wanted to curse it.

[reqqy]

Faolan watched them both surreptiously out of the corner of his eye. The big man seemed angry. Anger was scary. But then, the big man seemed angry a lot. S'rei would be angry, and the tall girl would mope. It was not pleasant. Only the little one was nice. He'd never told the big man, but he didn't really want to stay with them. It didn't matter, what he wanted. It didn't. Right now, for instance, he wanted to touch the hurt woman again, to maybe make it not hurt so much - but he didn't dare. She wasn't angry with him yet, and he didn't want her to be. Aliscia. That's what S'rei had called her. He was sad that she'd tripped on all those clothes. It seemed like an awful lot of pain just because someone couldn't fold the garments and put them in their proper place. Someone should take care of Aliscia. Or she might end up twisted, like his Cherry. The boy felt a flash of pain. They hurt her when he was too sad to listen. Sad? No. Yes. Sad and angry, because the blue one had run away. Faolan couldn't let them hurt Cherry again. Why did she still love him, when she was hurt because of him?

He blinked back the moisture on his lashes. Couldn't cry. Crying was almost as bad as not obeying. They didn't like that. The pale blues drilled a hole through Cherry, the green creeling softly, not liking this. Faolan wrestled down the 'dark man' inside him, the one who did not like to obey. The one who felt anger and pain. The one who was everything that Faolan simply could not be. It was easier, now, than it had been at first. Sometimes, the 'dark man' didn't even seem to exist. He would hear nothing from him for days. The words of Aliscia and S'rei passed over him, through him, making him uncomfortable. He didn't listen. Only enough to make sure they didn't want anything from him. Only enough.

A brow rose mildly at Aliscia's reply. Not sorry? Well, he couldn't imagine how that could be true, unless the drugs were still so strong that she wasn't feeling hardly any pain. S'rei managed a half-hearted smile for her. "Best time in months," he admitted honestly, wrinkling his nose. Months? Try turns. But he wasn't supposed to be talking about that little time skip, and it wouldn't do to have Aliscia thinking that he'd never gotten any enjoyment out of Shmee. Ah, but if the greenrider wasn't sorry now, she likely would be. He hadn't thought that his weyrmate would have trouble with the concept of a Flight. Being weyrbred, it seemed almost beyond comprehension. Obviously, she had, though, which meant both his and Aliscia's lives likely weren't about to get any easier.

He paused, though, at her words. Her offer. What? S'rei wasn't too comfortable with that. Sure, Faolan seemed docile now, but what if he was just a timebomb waiting to go off? If Aliscia had been well, he might consider it, simply because the woman could obviously handle herself. Faolan did need a home. But with the injuries...Then again, she'd probably appreciate having someone around to help her out. S'rei wavered, unsure of what to say. What to do. His eyes drifted to the boy, and his jaw tightened slightly. He - couldn't look. There was such a longing in the pale blue eyes as they fell on Aliscia, almost like that of a stray animal when offered a bit of food. Suspicious, but desperately wishing that it could be just as it appeared. That was more emotion than the bronzerider had seen in Faolan since he'd - acquired - the boy. Shards, but the whole concept felt dirty. How could he have bought a man he'd treated as nearly equal not so long ago?

"It may not be safe," S'rei offered, in warning. "But I can't really deny your request when I've had no other offers." Leaning in, he rested a hand on Faolan's knee, causing the boy to start slightly. S'rei met his eyes. "Do you want to go with Aliscia? You would stay here until they let her leave, and then help her in her weyr. Would you like that?" The light blues did not waver; they seemed to be searching his, as if wondering if this might be some sort of trick. Then, slowly, Faolan nodded, his gaze skirting shyly back over to Aliscia.

[kysseh]

Aliscia was still aware of Faolan's presence, even if he was silent. Long Turns of caution had made her keep close tabs on all in her proximity, and even in her only semi-coherent state, she was well aware of the fact that the young man was within arm's reach. He had shown no signs of hostility. In fact, he seemed to be even more concerned than S'rei, though how much of that was genuine worry and how much was just a reaction to her injured state was unknown. She knew how the northern weyrs--Benden, especially--broke their former riders to make them into something 'useful'. Shards, but if he had been a Selenitas rider first and resisted their attempts to bring him to heel, they would have been harder.

Tanith, we're going to be sharing our weyr for a little while. she told her mindmate, and she was unsurprised when the scarred brat lodged protest. What little orphan hatchling are you going to try to bring back? You had better not have gotten one of those little talking cousins like the goldling has... No, Tanny. He had a dragon that died. He needs somewhere to stay. He can bathe you while my arm heals. Aliscia pointed out, waiting for her dragon's response to that. She expected something snarky in response, but instead there was silence for a moment. The greenrider at first feared her dragon's anger, but then the green ventured forth a surprising sort of acquiescence. Fine. But if he hurts you, I'm snapping him in half.

It was the closest to agreement she would ever get from the surly, though still-tired, green, so she took it at that, coming back to full consciousness of her surroundings at S'rei's admission. She said nothing, but her smirk said it all. Take that, stupid goldrider. Well, it served the woman right for not taking proper care of her weyrmate's needs. Aliscia was not cruel, but she was not one to let an opportunity pass. Too bad S'rei had not responded to her, but she could not argue with the occurrences of the Flight. No, that had been quite the pleasant encounter.

The look of longing in Faolan's eyes shocked her. Was the weyrwoman that horrible towards him, or had he really taken a shine to her? Whichever the case, she pitied him. The little woman was under no illusions that she was easy to get along with or live with. Sure, she was neat and orderly, but she was also prone to being cranky. Poor B'rom had been completely thrown for a loop the first time he experienced her in a mood. She closed her eyes. B'rom. Shardit.... she needed to stop thinking about him, about that mess. The last thing she needed now was to break into tears.

She distracted herself by giving S'rei a look of mild disbelief. Really... he was still concerned about whether or not she could take care of herself? Even injured, she was dangerous. Granted, she was loathe to expend the energy and experience the pain, but she could, if she had to. Besides that, the boy seemed more desperate for good care than for anything else. She would be cautious, but she doubted he'd make a violent move on her. "Di'n't we... talk 'bout me being... tough?" she pointed out, allowing a small smile as the man gave in. Her bleary gaze turned toward Faolan again, and she was surprised that he offered no conditions, no protests before agreeing. He wanted to come live with her. Well.... good, then. She could use the help, but ground rules had to be set once her mouth loosened up enough to be completely obedient.

The greenrider licked her dry lips, wishing she had the energy to seek out something to drink. That had to wait, though. "I'll need help with... Tanith. That okay?" she asked of Faolan. Her good hand reached out to lightly touch his arm, knowing that the thought of another dragon might disturb him. "And... you'll have to sleep... on the couch." Aliscia was generous but not that generous as to give up her cot, especially with the situation being what it was. Besides, if this arrangement did not work out, then they could rethink it. But... really, she was going to need the help. Tanith was small but was still a lot to bathe and oil, especially with only one good arm and the pain of several cracked ribs.

[reqqy]

Ah, had that been too much of an ego boost for Aliscia? He thought about it another moment. No, probably not. What greenrider Aliscia's age would think herself inferior to a girl goldrider? She was probably just smirking at the fact that he'd admitted she was a better lay than Shmee had been the last several months. Aliscia probably wouldn't be smirking nearly as much if she knew he'd mostly been going without and generally unsatisfied those months. Not at all a high hurdle. Nor did he think an ego boost was necessarily a bad thing when confined to a bed with enough broken bones to sink a ship and heavily medicated. A compliment or two probably went a long way toward making her feel better. Or at least, a little better.

Aliscia was still quite independent, though, he'd give her that. Talking about being tough. Well, yes, she was tough, but he still didn't think that she could fend off a man like Faolan in her present state. Not when F'lan had been such a ruthless creature. Not when, in all likelihood, F'lan was somewhere buried in there, and likely would be all the more volatile if he ever broke free. Then again, for all the man's grouchiness, S'rei didn't recall an actual incident of violence. Eh. It was already done, at any rate. He couldn't very well refuse them both - especially Faolan - when they'd already taken to the idea. When he'd already given his consent.

The bronzerider was getting distinctly restless. Much as he felt responsible for Aliscia's present state, the not knowing was getting to him. Aslath wouldn't speak to Salenth. In a way, he found that comforting, because if Shmee was truly having trouble the gold would have gotten over her issues long enough to talk to Salenth, right? Surely. The more he thought about it, the more certain he was that his weyrmate was in the other man's arms right now, content. That thought made him a little angry. Why had he turned down Aliscia, when Shmee was off getting her kicks with someone else at the very same time? Paranoia? Perhaps. But the evidence did seem to point in that direction. Shardit, but he had to know.

She wanted him? He liked her better than the angry S'rei, than the weepy Shmee. Why? Right now, she needed him, though maybe she wouldn't be as nice later. Maybe, once she didn't need him, he would again find himself unsatisfied. That, however, was life. It would be fortunate if he ever found even a tiny bit of satisfaction, so the fact that he liked her better was enough to please him for now. Faolan's only purpose was to make the lives of the people around him easier. Maybe that was why he found it more satisfying to be around people who actually needed that, rather than the ones who clearly didn't.

But then he recognized just what it was she was saying. His mind retreated for a moment, bucking at the thought. It was a familiar sensation. Dragons - were most likely to bring out the 'dark man'. There was a time where they hadn't let him anywhere near them. That had been systematically worked out of him awhile back, though, and now it was only riding a dragon that threatened to release that creature lurking at his depths. Still, he was grateful for the touch. His hand covered hers, a light tremble running through his hand. Bad tremble. He stilled it. Slowly, he nodded to the woman. But...that really wasn't enough. "Y-yes." Evil tremble. He paused, then said again, "Yes." Stronger this time. The couch did not sound like the most comfortable place, but he had slept on the floor. Cold, hard floor, for the longest time. It was better than nothing.

"Wherever you want me to sleep," he responded, demurely. He couldn't quite keep the small smile from his face, not even when he touched her cheek. "Comfortable?" The light blues showed genuine concern. Maybe it wasn't just the fact that she needed someone. He did not like it when people were hurt.

Salenth. I really...would like to search for her myself. If you could get Phremath's or Hepaticath's in here, that would be nice. Aren't they supposed to be living together soon? He's not a healer. Just do it, please. The bronze acquiesced with ill grace, asking both dragons if their bondeds might join Tanith's for a little while.

[kysseh]

Aliscia was unable to miss the fact that S'rei seemed incredibly restless. She could hardly blame him. While she would have loved to monopolize his attention for the remainder of the afternoon, the sensible parts of her noted that that was absolutely ridiculous. Flightlust had brought them together, and it ended with that. She was fond of the bronzerider in that he understood some of her pain, but she doubted she would have much more time than this to talk to him. Well, she was not going to make demands of him. If he wanted to wander off and go searching for his errant, foolish little weyrmate, he could. Faolan seemed perfectly willing to keep her company, though his silence was.... well... creepy.

Even drugged as she was, the woman could not miss the light tremor in Faolan's touch until he stilled it. His hand felt warm over hers, and she smiled at him as he responded in the affirmative. Granted, the smile was a bit warped on the right side of her face from the scarring that still plagued her, but it was the closest most people--especially men--would get out of her. Faolan seemed like he would present very little in the way of problems as a... live-in helper, for lack of a better term. She would still be keeping a very, very close eye on him, especially when he was near Tanith, but she felt no reason to fear. He seemed.... broken.

"Couch is the only place," she told him, her words still slurred together a bit. Well, at least she was semi-coherent now. She considered that a plus. "It's not... that bad. Promise." She let her eyelids flutter shut for a brief second on pure instinct when she felt a touch on her cheek, opening them again to look at his concerned gaze. He was smiling at her. It was not a wide smile, but it looked genuine enough. "Much as I can be." Which, really, was much better than she had been. The pilllows supported her enough that breathing was now uncomfortable as opposed to just painful. She considered it an improvement.

"I leave for a candlemark, and men flock to you," a wryly amused voice stated from the doorway, and Aliscia twitched in surprise, so absorbed was she in watching the former dragonrider. The greenrider pulled a face at the similarly vertically-challenged woman standing in the doorway, wishing she had the energy to launch into a verbal debate with the healer. "They came to me," she muttered quietly in response, to which her friend offered only a chuckle.

Savitri carried the food-laden tray into the room, squeezing past S'rei to take possession of the open little table to the side to set it down. "I was hoping you'd stay out of it for longer," the healer continued, offering the bronzerider a glare that implied that he was in on the waking-up part. She strode over to the headboard of the bed and just put out her hand, waiting patiently while the little white pet popped his head up from behind it and crawled up her arm. " And if you'd have waited a few minutes, waking Cath up wouldn't have been necessary." Now her look at S'rei was one more of annoyance. She had just gotten back to the infirmary from the kitchens when a sleepy Cath had informed her of Salenth's request.

Aliscia snorted softly and glared up at Savitri to spread the annoyance around. Actually, her glare was mostly for the nosy little white spy that had crawled up the weyrling's arm and disappeared down the front of her shirt, but since that thing was out of sight, Savitri got the eyeful of it. "I was awake anyway..." she muttered rebelliously. Then, she gestured with her chin at both men. "S'rei... Faolan. This is Savitri."

The goldweyrling nodded at both men and then leaned over to check the covered gash on Aliscia's forehead. "And please call me that too. I'm sick of being referred to by rank." She had a name. Why couldn't they use it? She spared a glance for S'rei, her green eyes curious. "I don't know where she is, before you ask. But a lot of the dragons are anxious after Aslath got involved in that Flight like she did. Cath has been fidgeting all day." The whole situation irked the goldweyrling, though she could hardly scold the weyrwoman for anything. No, her priorities included taking care of her friend, who apparently had a new admirer. Lovely. It would make her job easier. "Why'd you want me here?" she inquired of the bronzerider, straightening once she was satisfied that the gash was evenly closed with stitches.

[reqqy]

Pretty smile. Faolan liked smiles. Well, most smiles. Sometimes they were mean smiles, because some people liked to do mean things, but this wasn’t one of those. He tried not to look too closely at her scars, because that would make him want to pet her. She must have been hurt a lot. The idea was an uncomfortable one for him. The couch, then. He couldn’t complain. A couch was much better than the floor, though he would have been fine with that, too. He was used to it. Nor was Faolan so old that such things as cold floors had his body all messed up throughout the next day. Nodding solemnly at her words, he squeezed her hand a little in what he hoped was reassurance. No, Faolan did not think it was bad, to be on the couch. She needn’t worry so much.

The boy was glad that she seemed to be okay, though he wasn’t sure if she was being completely truthful. A brow lifted in question. Still, he didn’t remove his hand on her cheek until he heard the voice in the doorway. His hand fell to his side, and he turned toward the small girl, an unguarded openness in his eyes, though Cherry betrayed some of his startled shyness by disappearing back beneath the neckline of his shirt, only her small snout still visible. Young girl. He glanced at S’rei, then Aliscia, but neither seemed bothered or surprised to see her, so Faolan relaxed a little. The boy wondered briefly if he should stand. No. No. She was a woman. Higher than him, yes, but if he was sitting with S’rei still in the room, it would be an insult to stand for a mere girl.

S’rei had only been paying cursory attention to the interaction between Faolan and Aliscia. He was again fingering Shmee’s clothing, brooding about all the implications. Again, he kept on coming back to the fact that Aslath wasn’t receptive to Salenth’s inquiries. No matter how much the queen disliked his bronze, if there was a real problem, she would have answered him. Maybe he shouldn’t go looking for Shmee, after all. He didn’t know if he could handle seeing her – willingly – with another man right after he’d turned down Aliscia, who at least wanted him. But…the idea that maybe she had been raped and was hiding, terrified somewhere, made it impossible for him to just sit idle. The stupid, idiotic woman. Why was she so determined to keep him out of the Flight, anyway? By the egg, she hadn’t truly wanted him for months! Possessive, egocentric, stupid little git…

He almost didn’t notice Savitri at all. In fact, he really didn’t until she brushed past him, the man taking an instinctive step back and trying to force his mind into the present. What? Why was she glaring at him? Confused, it took him a moment to realize what she’d said, and then she was talking about waking Hepaticath and apparently retrieving the white salamandyr. Great. In all likelihood, that meant someone else knew about Shmee. Too many people to keep it quiet, anyway, though. His masculine pride was definitely beginning to take a beating. S’rei had the good grace to look mildly contrite, though he said nothing. They all knew he couldn’t possibly have known where Savitri was or that her gold was sleeping. Nor was it really his fault that Aliscia had awakened. He stood in silence.

Of course the bronzerider already knew Savitri – if only by sight – and he merely nodded. Faolan seemed distinctly more interested. That gave S’rei pause. What was on the boy’s mind? Then again, the former bluerider seemed to be fascinated with anyone with a strong personality, so maybe that had something to do with it? No way of knowing. When his gaze returned to the goldweyrling, he rolled his eyes at the disappearing tail. What was it with women and keeping their salamandyrs down their shirts? He was seeing an awful lot of that of late. He smiled slightly at her problem with titles, though. Didn’t hear much of that attitude around here, sure enough.

At her question, though, he cast a surreptitious glance at Faolan, a little surprised to find the boy’s blues squarely upon him. This wasn’t good. He couldn’t very well just come out and tell her that he didn’t trust the dragonless man, now could he? Well, time to edit a little. What reason could he give? Then it dawned on him. Why not the truth? “I need to leave, and I just thought that you –“ He indicated the infirmary at large with a sweep of his arm. “–might want to keep an eye on her. No offense, Aliscia, but you still don’t seem completely lucid, and I wouldn’t want you falling out of bed with the injuries you already have.” He winked at the woman, hoping that would eliminate any ill will the statement might have evoked; from what little he knew of her, she did not like anyone suggesting that she couldn’t take care of herself. “So I think I’ll be going now.” He nodded to Faolan, gesturing that the dragonless should stay, as the boy seemed about ready to get up. “You listen to Aliscia now,” S’rei added, just to be clear. Faolan nodded silently.

The boy’s pale blues turned to Savitri after the bronzerider left, still intrigued by her, and mildly anxious that she would make him leave Aliscia. He knew she was a healer. Without realizing it, his hand had snaked out to snag the greenrider’s, looking for her reassurance.

[kysseh]

While Aliscia was muttering rebelliously--and rather incoherently--beneath her breath, Savitri took the time to survey the restless bronzerider and the quiet man sitting on Aliscia's bed. The latter did not seem more than a few Turns her senior... or perhaps her own age. He seemed much like a young child in many respects, and she had to wonder. Her raised eyebrow and flick of her eyes in Faolan's direction only yielded a brief shake of Aliscia's head, and she took that to mean that it was not a safe topic for discussion, for the moment. No matter. Savitri had all evening to wait, or at least until Cath awoke again. The little gold needed frequent tending for one thing or another. Food, bathing, oiling... it was nonstop needs, but Savitri adored every moment of it. One look into Hepaticath's whirling eyes was all she needed to remind herself why she was so devoting her time to the growing beast.

The healer did not miss S'rei's eyes roll at the sight of Shadow disappearing down her shirt, though she just turned an annoyed gaze at him before returning to fussing over her friend, testing the greenrider's forehead with the back of one hand to make sure that woman was not running a fever. Faolan's interest was noticed but dismissed. There would be time to talk later, once Aliscia was taken care of.

Aliscia similarly rolled her eyes at Savitri's fussing, though she was glad it was her young friend and not any other healer. Savitri's motions were well-intended, and she would not make a spectacle of tending to the injured rider. That made it easier to bear, even when Savitri carefully slipped an arm beneath Aliscia's shoulders and helped the greenrider move into an upright position. Pain flared up again, but Aliscia just gritted her teeth and bore it until she was upright and shored up by enough pillows to keep her torso from budging an inch. She was coherent enough to register S'rei's statement and promptly stuck her tongue out at him... again. Stupid bronzerider. Well, he was gone and had missed the action, but it was no matter. She would get him back for it, wink or no wink. Yes.... run, big coward, run. There was nowhere he could hide from-

She started, turning her nearly-gold eyes toward Faolan as she felt a hand gently seize her own. She had recognized that S'rei had ordered the young man to stay, but still, it was strange for the young man to reach out for comfort. Then she followed his gaze toward Savitri, and the greenrider chuckled softly, giving in to an old instinct and rubbing her thumb along the back of his hand. "Don't worry. She's just bossy," she reassured him lightly, a statement which Savitri punctuated with a mild snort. "She's a weyrling. Goldweyrling, actually." If there was a faint note of pride in her tired and slurred voice, it was understandable. It was she and Tanith who had prodded Savitri onto the sands, after all, and Aliscia loosely viewed the healer as a sort of sibling. They had an understanding, Aliscia and Savitri did, even if they bickered and teased quite a bit.

"You have to bring that up, don't you?" Savitri muttered at her friend, though she flicked Faolan a gentle smile. The poor creature seemed so skittish, he and his hiding little pet. Well, no matter. He had nothing to fear from her. "Hungry?" she asked them both before lifting the tray and settling it on the open bed space beside Aliscia. "I think I brought enough for everyone," she added dryly, knowing that was a mild understatement. Shadow's images had told her of S'rei's presence, so she had laden the tray with enough food for four. Fruit, meatrolls, bread and cheese, plus a pitcher of klah, of course. It was far from fancy, but judging by the growl that Aliscia's stomach emitted, it was appreciated. The healer picked up a piece of fruit to nibble on it. "Should I have brought you wherry broth to spoonfeed you?"

After giving the healer a withering glance, Aliscia carefully extricated her hand from Faolan's grip, giving his hand one reassuring pat before snagging a meatroll. Thankfully, it was not incredibly messy, so she managed to nibble on it without making a fool of herself. She almost belatedly realized that Faolan might not partake without permission and gestured at the tray with her chin, managing a smile for him as encouragement. He had better snag a piece of fruit, or the women might eat it all. Aliscia just enjoyed it, and Savitri was positively an addict, the silly girl. "What's her name?" she inquired curiously between bites, her eyes flicking toward where the flitter had concealed herself beneath Faolan's tunic. They were going to be sharing a weyr. Getting started with knowing each other was probably wise, she reckoned, and that was a good place to begin.