|
Post by M'kel on Jun 22, 2008 21:13:30 GMT -5
As M'kel stood in a semi-frozen state, eyes wide and brain churning in a painfully slow attempt to process the bizarre situation, he registered a few main points that seemed very significant. First, that the goldrider was complaining loudly of cold, which obviously would not have been a problem for any normal jump between, especially in the Southern Continent's climate. Second, that the gold's name was Plianth and her rider Penna, and neither of these names held any significance for the bronzerider. And third, the most important detail of all, that the gold dragon was inquiring of Tirenth about Ista Weyr. That the rider seemed drunk and her dragon grotesquely overweight were minor observations at a time like this.
Ista Weyr? Tirenth responded to the queen, his eyes whirling rapidly with concern. The dragon was not understanding much more than his rider, but he at least had the presence of mind to attempt a reply. I have not heard of this place and do not know where it is. However, if you and your rider would prefer not to make the journey, you could remain at this Weyr.
The Weyrleader's jaw worked slightly as he struggled to decide on a response that would solve all of this confusion, and his shoulders stiffened as the other bronzerider and brownrider muttered together behind him. It felt like an assault on his senses that they were adding more information for him to process. Sitareh? That was the LAST thing he wanted to be thinking about now.
Finally, something clicked. Ista Weyr. This was a name he had not heard often. In fact, M'kel had not heard mention of this name since his studies with his family Hold's Harper. The chances were that had he not been such an attentive student, demanding more from the Harper than the basic lessons taught to every youngster growing up in a Hold, he might not have remembered the name at all. And the reason for this was that Ista Weyr had not existed for a long time, even in the time of Artemis Moonlight Weyr. It was one of the Weyrs that had been wiped out by the plague in the Northern Continent, and not even the most legendary of those. Yes, 'Benden' was a familiar term, but because of its leadership position amongst the Weyrs, not its wine...
If gold Plianth and her rider Penna had truly made a leap that far between times... It was then that the rider seemed to be registering her precarious state as well, for she raised a bare leg to reveal blue toes, emptied her stomach upon her front, and slid off the side of her dragon. Now that everything was beginning to make horrible, horrible sense in M'kel's mind, he plunged forward instantly, arms outstretched to catch the falling goldrider (despite the thought in the back of his mind that he might not be strong enough to support that weight...), but her dragon interceded even more swiftly. "Tirenth, quickly, call C'lyn. This woman has..." he looked sick at the thought, "traveled very far between."
With a placating glance up at the gold, although the Weyrleader suddenly doubted her own strength after such a trip, M'kel knelt by the woman's side. Despite her almost repulsively drunk appearance (to which the vomit was not adding any glamour), he was extremely concerned for her welfare. And there was another part of him that was intrigued, imagining the wonders of being able to converse with one who had lived so long ago, in a Weyr fighting Thread much like they would soon be doing. He wished he carried a cape that he could toss about the woman now, but that kind of accoutrement was hardly necessary in the Southern Continent. "You'll be all right, Penna," he murmured, attempting to sound reassuring despite his lingering shock. "You're safe, in a Weyr, and a Healer will be arriving shortly."
|
|
|
Post by **Auria (etc)** on Jun 23, 2008 8:36:54 GMT -5
Penna, prone on the ground, opened her eyes to see a blurry form swimming above her. It gradually resolved to the features of the handsome young bronzerider who'd introduced himself as weyrleader.
Instinctively, and totally unaware of her ridiculous position or the stinking wine-vomit that covered her front, she gave him what she considered her most dazzling smile.
And then, pain shot through her fingers and toes, wiping the smile from her face, and she began to remember her words, their words, the female brownrider, the unfamiliar weyr.... Fear followed pain, and she began to sniffle.
"It seems that maybe I do need a healer," she lisped, tears welling up in her eyes, as her dire predicament started to clarify. "I don't understand, please explain to me! I don't know where I am ... I never heard of Alarican Weyr! Where is this place? It's warm here, Ista is about the warmest place I know this season of turn, but this is definitely not the Big Island ... is it?"
She struggled to sit up, but as her legs were precariously wedged against the side of her dragon, and her muscles had about as much control as a wet rag at the moment, she only managed to wiggle about a bit in the dust and get one elbow stuck underneath her.
Pennamine, Tirenth says he does not know where Ista Weyr is. How can that be? Plianth's eyes whirled faster with worry and confusion.
"Oh my, Oh me .... Oh, help--" she whined quietly.
|
|
|
Post by C'lyn on Jun 23, 2008 20:32:32 GMT -5
C'lyn rolled his shoulders and straightened from his hunched position, finishing some stitches on a young kitchen woman's hand from where she had sliced her hand open cutting something in the kitchens. He smiled and instructed the girl how to take care of her hand and to return in a few days to have the progressed checked.
C'lyn mine, Tirenth says that his rider needs you at the lake, someone has come from far back in time and needs you[/color] she informed her rider. C'lyn tilted his head and arched an eyebrow as he automatically gathered up his sack. He hesitated a moment before grabbing up a blanket as well, remembering how cold Larita had been she arrived.
C'lyn met Greylith outside the infirmary and vaulted onto her back. He glanced around to make sure there was no weyrling's watching as his green leapt into the air, he didn't have his straps. It was a short flight to the lake and Greylith stayed near the ground, skimming far enough up to keep from hitting anyone.
Greylith landed gracefully and crooned a greeting, her eyes whirling with confusion when she saw the gold. It wasn't one of the two weyrlings and it wasn't the Senior Queen. C'lyn slid to the ground, his brow furrowed in his own confusion. He bowed respectfully to the gold as he made his way to her side where her rider was. He nodded politely to the rider's present, noting that one was a weyrling. He hoped that the young brown rider hadn't noticed he hadn't used riding straps.
He smiled gently to the Gold rider as he knelt beside her "Hello, I am C'lyn Weyrhealer of Araelen," he said softly, soothingly. He unfolded the blanket and gently draped it over her, frowning at her words. He made a soft shushing sound as she began to whine "I know you are confused and we will do our best to help," he said gently, reaching down to help her sit up.
Greylith crooned softly again to the distressed Queen My rider will help yours the best he can,[/color] she said respectfully, gently. She was confused by this queen's appearance as was her rider, but it was their duty to help, not question.
|
|
|
Post by **Auria (etc)** on Jun 23, 2008 22:12:44 GMT -5
Another man's face was over Penna, and a warm blanket was being tucked around her, as the man introduced himself as Healer.
"Oh, my toes hurt," she began, and it was as if a floodgate opened with the words, "And my fingers hurt and I'm very cold and I lost all that lovely wine and it's all frozen over there--" she pointed (still on her back and with her feet wedged against Plianth) in the wrong direction, "And they won't tell me how to get back to Ista, and ... oh, PLEASE tell me where I am! I just wanted to go for a swim!"
Plianth, her eyes still whirling swiftly, felt a glimmer of hope when the green and her healer-rider arrived. Normally she wouldn't deign to converse with a green, but this one had brought help for her Penna, so she turned to her with desperation. Please tell us how we got here: I do not know. I was all full in the belly and sad, and Pennamine was dizzy with wine, and we tried to get to the beach and it seems like we were SO long 'between'. She looked from Greylith to each of the other dragons. Could no one help them? We would just like to go home to our weyr and sleep, she went on, and I don't even care if that overgrown wherry Leeth laid a queen egg!
Again, in her worry and confusion, Plianth began that odd humming sound, her head rocking back and forth in time.
|
|
|
Post by M'kel on Jun 24, 2008 16:17:48 GMT -5
A toothy grin was the response to M'kel's concerned gaze, and his eyes widened in surprise. The goldrider seemed to be regaining consciousness somewhat, however her rationality still seemed to be missing. It was very comical indeed to see this goldrider lying on the floor of the Bowl, with her dragon hovering over her, vomit on her front, and a -- was it supposed to be charming? -- smile on her face. Had the situation not been so grave, the bronzerider might have been forced to stifle a laugh. As it was, he was still marveling at the jump between that this woman must have taken. That she survived was a wonder. Perhaps it had addled her brains between. That would explain a lot...
The smile vanished as instantly as the oblivious, cheery light in her eyes, replaced by intense fear and uncertainty. M'kel awkwardly reached out to take her hand and pat it gently. The chill of it nearly caused him to recoil, and he winced. The bronzerider was not one to enjoy watching others suffer. Penna's teary remarks and her struggle with remembering the Weyr's name made the bronzerider wonder if it might be kinder to lie to her about her location, at least until she was rested and had cleared her head.
The arrival of the Weyrhealer banished all worry, however, for M'kel was quite willing to leave it in his expert hands. C'lyn would be a much better judge of how not to cause further stress to the woman, and the bronzerider withdrew slightly. "Maybe some klah?" he suggested, glancing around to see if anyone was willing to make the run. Shaking his head at this foolishness, he quickly asked Tirenth to contact dragons until he found one whose rider was in the Lower Caverns. That might be faster. "Don't worry, Penna. We'll get some klah for you and whatever herbs the Weyrhealer can suggest, then we'll find you a weyr to rest. Tomorrow, we will sort this all out."
After relaying M'kel's message to a variety of potential dragons, Tirenth returned his gaze to the queen. His eyes whirled faster at her anxious hum, and he dipped his head toward her, attempting to send reassurances. The Healers in this Weyr are skilled and will care for your rider well. My own rider will ensure that no further harm comes to her. If you are tired after your long journey, our Feeding Grounds are overflowing with robust beasts and wherries. I will personally watch over your rider in your absence, if you wish.
|
|
|
Post by **Auria (etc)** on Jun 24, 2008 19:50:38 GMT -5
"Klah.... " Penna grabbed at the familiar thought. Nice, hot strong klah to warm her poor fingers and help her head to clear. She began to realize how drunk she was ... which was a good sign, and usually meant she was starting to sober up. She wrinkled her nose, the smell of vomit on her dress beginning to register. The emptying of her stomach may have, in fact, aided her drying out.
She nodded, and the action made her head spin. Waiting for it to clear, she said, again, "Klah. Yes, and maybe some plain bread to soak up ... to warm my tummy."
She shifted around, managed to get her jammed elbow out from under her, and forced herself to a sitting position against Plianth.
Just then, however, the Weyrleader's bronze mentioned food.....
... and Penna found herself flat on her back again. The jarring against the ground set her head to pounding and she moaned.
Now that you mention it, I could use a nibble.... the great gold dragon stood, revealing the little rolls of fat behind her forelimbs and around the bases of her wings, and how her underbelly hung far lower than it should. It was such a looong time bet-- why are you lying down again, Mine, are you tired?
At this, she arched her neck around, and tilted her head sideways to get a better look at her rider.
"I'm tired," Penna said between gritted teeth, trying hard not to lose what little composure her addled mind was clinging to, "I'm cold. My toes and fingers hurt. I want klah. And I'm lost."
She shoved herself up into a semi-sitting position with her elbows, and felt her patience waning as the world once again spun around her. She glared at M'kel. "PLEASE tell me how to get back to Ista!"
With each word, her volume rose a notch, as did the tears to fill her eyes.
With the tears came a new sense of panic. She tried to move her feet under her, but the pain renewed in her feet, and she glanced down for a moment at her toes, still slightly blue, and then frantically at C'lyn. "My toes, my toes! Will my toes be okay!? Somebody help me up! I want to go home, I want klah, I want my toes to stop hurting and my fingers to thaw, and I HAVE TO USE THE NECESSARY!"
|
|
|
Post by Flamewolf on Jun 24, 2008 21:13:02 GMT -5
Galahanth arched his neck in surprise at the gold's astounded reaction to the information. Keldara glanced sideways at him as Penna started to laugh aloud about her rank. Do I want... she began. He gave a shrug of his front shoulders, making her giggle slightly at the action. They both fell silent as the scene began to unfold, however.
Soon, the gold rider fell off of her dragon and slid to the ground. The weyrling involuntarily took a step forward, then paused and put it back as M'kel went over to her side. Then C'lyn was there, wrapping a blanket around the probably freezing woman. At the sight of the healer she relaxed and listened to the ensuing conversation as an observer.
So she did time it! Keldara thought to her dragon.
It would appear so, the brown responded, dipping his head slightly and moving out of the way. He was dwarfed compared to the older dragons, and there were quite a few of them there now.
|
|
|
Post by C'lyn on Jun 24, 2008 22:47:43 GMT -5
C'lyn nodded in agreement to M'kel's suggestion without looking up from his patient. He was careful to keep the frown from his face as he gently felt Penna's forehead, glad not to feel any fever. He glanced at her toes and did frown a bit "Some hot Klah will do wonders for you my dear Gold rider," he said softly as Greylith begin a soft, soothing hum of her own.
C'lyn rummaged in his pouch and pulled out two rolls of bandages and shifted to kneel at her feet. He shook his head, even for a short hop it wasn't a good idea to go unprotected. He pulled out a small jar of salve and looked up as Penna laid flat on her back again "I don't think food would be the best option at this point for you Miss Penna, but my Greylith can show your Queen to the feeding pens once we have you settled," he said softly.
"I'm not sure it would be wise to try to go back to Ista until you and your Plianth have had time to rest. It will be a long journey for you to get home if you can," he said gently, not sure if her mind could take the fact that she had timed it so far ahead. He gently rubbed the salve onto her toes, the ointment warming slightly as he rubbed it in. After paying special attention to each toe he wrapped her feet securely in the bandages.
He nodded as she whined, ignoring the fact that she was whining, she was lost and confused, he could hardly blame her for feeling hysterical. He looked over at M'kel as he shifted position "Can you help me get her off the ground?" he asked his Weyrleader.
|
|
|
Post by M'kel on Jun 25, 2008 13:42:48 GMT -5
The goldrider seemed very interested at M'kel's suggestion of klah, and he nodded encouragingly as she forced herself into a sitting position against her dragon. She seemed to be perking up, and becoming slightly more aware. His anxiety was just fading when the gold dragon abruptly stood, causing her rider to plop back to the ground, hard. The bronzerider twitched, reaching out too late to catch her, once again, then winced at the thought of the pain to her likely already spinning head. He glared over his shoulder at Tirenth for passing along that suggestion, which had obviously so excited the queen.
It was then that M'kel fully noticed the lovely...fat rolls on the gold. Obviously Tirenth's suggestion had been a successful one in drawing her attention, because this gold's love in life, aside from her rider, appeared to be food. Tirenth ducked his head slightly, unhappy to have caused such a problem, but the bronze was relieved that the gold was no longer filling his thoughts with pleas as loud and insistent as her rider.
As Penna began to lose control again, her eyes brimming and her tone becoming hysterical, M'kel looked wildly around for help. He couldn't handle hysteria in a woman; he could barely handle women when they were perfectly calm! The Weyrhealer seemed far less affected, diligently going about his duties and rubbing salve onto the woman's frozen toes. M'kel wished he could aid in some manner, so he took the woman's hand again to try to rub some warmth into it. At that moment, though, he noticed an NPC dragonrider (eh heh) racing across the Bowl as quickly as possible without spilling the mug in his hands.
As C'lyn asked M'kel to help him raise Penna, the Weyrleader did so, although halting when she was in a sitting position. "I think we ought to get some klah into her, and whatever you can mix in from your pouch, before we try to move her to a weyr. I don't want her to fight us..." The bronzerider looked significantly at the small, yet round, woman's bulk. If she chose to throw her weight around in a fit over being hefted off the ground when she clearly did not want to be in this Weyr, he didn't know that he'd be able to hold onto her.
He then smiled down at Penna once again, attempting to be reassuring. "Here, we have some klah for you, and then we'll help you get straight to the er...necessary. Then we'll take you to a nice little weyr and wrap you up in some furs, and first thing tomorrow morning, after you've had a nice long rest, we'll sort everything out. How does that sound?" M'kel's tone was almost that of one used to calm children, but in this state, Penna wasn't far off from requiring that, he figured.
|
|
|
Post by **Auria (etc)** on Jun 25, 2008 14:07:37 GMT -5
As C'lyn began to rub the soothing medication into Penna's throbbing toes, the pain began to ease immediately. She watched with cautious eyes, sniffling and nodding like a child, as he talked, the calming Voice of the Healer working its magic.
Then M'kel joined in as they kindly helped her to sit, and the sound of footsteps caught her attention as a new person ran over with steaming klah.
His soothing tones caused her to nod, and wipe her nose on her sleeve. "Thank you," her voice, when not screaming, was actually soft and pleasant, if one didn't pay attention to the lisp and the wine-slur, "My feet are starting to hurt less ... I might even be able to walk. With help. If it's not too far...?"
Everyone was being so nice to her. So nice.... the thought, while it soothed her, caused the tears to well up and spill silently down her cheeks once again.
She then noticed the brown dragon, off to the side, and the young woman who had stepped out of the way. "You're really his rider? Amazing," she said, and shook her head at the strangeness of it all. She couldn't help wondering if this was all a strange dream. Or maybe, maybe she had died between, and this was what being dead was like. No, it couldn't be ... she was pretty certain that when one was dead, one didn't have to pee....
Plianth, momentarily forgetting food, wove back and forth as she hovered over the scene. As Penna gradually calmed, the dragon's eyes whirled more slowly, her nervous humming subsided, and the rocking motion of her anxiety eased. We are lost, Mine, but we are safe. Warm furs and a soft bed are a good idea. But do they have a spare weyr large enough for me? How many Queens does this Weyr have? She directed her thoughts both to her rider, and, respectfully, to the Weyrleader's bronze. At Ista all the Queen weyrs are full....
Penna's lower lip began to tremble, though when she spoke her words no longer carried the hysterics that they had before. "All the Queen weyrs at Ista were full", she said with a pout, and sniffled loudly as she held her hands out for the hot cup of klah.
|
|