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Post by .K.aci on Jun 19, 2008 8:14:30 GMT -5
Claudia... An old name for an old identity. Despite the youngness she looked, at almost 16 turns she was much older than that in most parts of her mind. She had grown up quickly when she had left her first hold, her birth place, and despite how young she was, she grew up. It is a sad fact that she never got to experience the real joy of childhood, but that was how the cookie crumbled and she never allowed herself to dwell back on the 'what-ifs?'
'I wouldn't flatter dear Tirenth too much, it might go to his head.'
What was this? A giggle, actually escaping the young girl's mouth. Well now, this was interesting. The very difference between the girl that had quietly sat here for five or six months and tried to skim in the background and the girl that now stood here, as though she was again playing in the lake with her older guardian's.
"I think he's allowed to be pompous, sir."
A smirk danced around her lips for a moment before she broke into a wide smile, responding to the kindness in his eyes and the admiration in his eyes as he gazed at his huge beast. It was impossible to think little of anybody that would show much love and admiration to a creature, even if the creature was perfect and deserved any exclaims of awe.
'Right now, this 'magnificent' beast smells terribly of firestone, so I'd like to scrub him everywhere we can reach and that he will allow, using the sweetsand. I've already done most of his back, so we won't have to worry about that too much. After he dries off, we can oil him down. He has tough hide, so don't worry about hurting him.'
Grinning excitedly, she quickly scooped up some of the sand in her hand, swiftly scrubbing the huge thigh that stood in front of her. It was different than doing chores, she decided. That was boring and tedious. To be able to even touch the skin of a dragon, especially as a drudge (although she had only been one for a short time), was a remarkable experience, and only pushed the determination of Impressing deeper into her heart.
'What's your name?'
Startled, she had almost said Claudia, but even as the cl sound escaped her lips she swallowed it right back down.
"Crown, Sir."
It startled her that she had thought of herself as Claudia - that hadn't been the case for awhile now. Only when she sent out the letters that her brothers demanded did she sign at the bottom her real name. Crown was who she was now, and with a small shake of her head, she went back to the scrubbing of the dragon. However, silence bothered her after too long, so she asked,
"Excuse me, Weyrleader M'kel, but may I ask you a question?"
Before he could answer, she sloughed ahead.
"Where did you come from before you Impressed? I don't mean the hundred's years ago, but what were you?"
A drudge, a farm boy, she was curious, and it wasn't as though as a drudge you had ever opportunity to speak to one of the noble dragonriders. |
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Post by M'kel on Jun 23, 2008 22:16:08 GMT -5
M'kel's curious and watchful gaze was rewarded, for her smile broke through the haze of her state of drudgery once again. The girl even giggled, her eyes wide with seeming admiration as she stared up at Tirenth. Her quip about the dragon's right to be pompous brought a snort and a chuckle from the rider, as he shook his head partly in agreement and partly in defeat. He didn't want his dear Tirenth to become haughty (not that the rider was very far from it) with all of this praise, but he nonetheless believed that a bronze of Tirenth's strength and superiority should be appreciated for what he was.
Oooooh, yes, right there, Tirenth interrupted his thoughts, shifting his bulk towards the girl as she hit on a particularly itchy spot. M'kel chuckled, hearing the thoughts the girl was not privy to, but knowing she'd understand the message anyways.
As the girl introduced herself -- at last! A name other than 'the drudge' -- M'kel raised a brow slightly. It was a very unique name, one that he had never heard before, but that only reminded him of the horrendous name he had been born with and forced to carry until Impression. Mirenikel. The bronzerider shuddered at the very thought. Some parents were...creative, to say the least. To Crown, he merely nodded, storing it away in the hopes that he would recall it at some later meeting. Nothing could tarnish a Weyrleader's image faster than failing to remember the names of the Lower Caverns' workers.
Crown's enthusiasm was evident in her vigorous scrubbing, as she promptly set to work on Tirenth's thigh. M'kel smiled at her zeal, turning to his own labours and making a mental note that such energetic aid might be a benefit in future baths as well. At her query, he raised his head and turned to study her, a little surprised at the drudge's forward attitude but interested as well. Most drudges were so very dull, stammering out only terms of respect. If this girl was any bit of a conversationalist, he might wish her to help bathe Tirenth more often.
The question gave him a moment of pause: To remember the time before Impression was to remember that gangly youth Mirenikel, always driven by ambition and struggling to prove himself amongst a flock of siblings. But he need not speak of such things... It felt strange to be sharing anything of his past, and M'kel wasn't sure that he wanted to begin with much now. "Well," he began, then paused to look at the girl once again. She was quite innocent, he had realized, and the last thing the young man wished to do was make her position seem even worse than it was. "Those who Impress come from all walks of life." He decided on an optimistic beginning; everyone deserved hope in life.
"I grew up in a Hold, the first child of the Minor Holders managing it. I had many siblings, and it was unlikely that I, out of all of them, would have inherited." Not that he had believed in such pessimism at the time; M'kel had been certain he would be his Father's successor. However, being Impressed to a dragon made all of that now seem frivolous. "So I was basically raised to manage an estate...which I am now doing on a much larger scale!" The Weyrleader beamed up at the Bowl, ignorant of the fact that he was actually involved very little in its upkeep. "Holds were much the same then as they are today, if more respectful of dragonriders." Then, curiousity got the better of him. "How about you? Were you born in a Hold and came to the Weyr to serve dragons and their riders?"
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Post by .K.aci on Jun 24, 2008 14:16:24 GMT -5
Even as the great beast shifted in the water, little Crown stood her ground, interpreting the movement as what it was. Her eyes sparkling, she stayed on that area for a few seconds longer before moving on, barely resisiting the urge to laugh aloud as a cloud of euphoria settled on her, and threatened to blanket her for the next few days.
Names given at birth were things that were not only special, but oftentimes gave insight to what a person was afterwards. Claudia, her mother had loved the name, having found it in a very old record that their minor Hold had boasted. Crown had seen nothing wrong with that, but when she had been sent away, in a burst of rebelliousness, she fought for her own self, and won - or so she thought. It was harder to escape your past than you would believe.
Thankfully for M'kel, however, Crown tended to make Impressions, and while she would still be sullen and quiet during the time when other's that were of higher rank were around, if she ever met M'kel alone in the hall most likely she would attack, inquiring about the great Bronze that she was at the moment lucky enough to help care for. As a cocky young girl who tended to take others under her wing and like an old mother hen, would both coax and crassly boss around until she believed they were safe.
Even as he paused she felt the first twinges that she might have gone ot far. But he started to speak, and she lasped her work for just a moment.
'Well.'
As he looked at her, she hurridly began to scrub again, thinking that he would yell at her, but he stayed quiet for several moments, worrying her, although she kept her head up and acted as though the silence didn't bother her at all.
Ah Crown, my scared little girl. She was worried about everything, worried about somebody not liking her, not accepting her, although she acted as though none of that never bothered her. She was innocent, trying to grow up too fast and succeding. But she would never quite loose that innocent look in her eye as she shyly peered at him, biting her lip and running her free hand through the spiky strawberry blond hair. She had thrown herself in the worst possible position she could, out of anger at the world and her siblings for all ditching her, and she didn't regret it - yet. But if she didn't Impress, if she didn't manage to stand and do something with her life, she would most likely turn into a bitter young woman who would hate the world more than she did already. It is a daunting thing.
'Those who Impress come from all walks of life.'
He was right on the dime - at this her heart leapt and that knot in her stomach that stayed worried she wouldn't impress relaxed slightly. She was not just a Drudge, but the daughter of a hold master.
'I grew up in a Hold, the first child of the Minor Holders managing it.'
She was the last, but still!
'I had many siblings, and it was unlikely that I, out of all of them, would have inherited.'
She didn't want to inherite it, but it was interesting to think about. If she was still living there would she have been allowed to fight for it? Her grandmother would have said certainly not, but perhaps the mother she could barely remember might have said yes.
'So I was basically raised to manage an estate...which I am now doing on a much larger scale!'
She raised a silent eyebrow at this. It was those that did the actual work, she believed that did everything, those like the Headwoman who kept it running day by day. But he loved the Weyr, so she stayed quiet, swallowing the harsh opinion on her lips.
'Holds were much the same then as they are today, if more respectful of dragonriders.'
Thinking the story was over, and having much to think about, she turned her head back to the dragon and scrubbed it for another two or three seconds, until his next words startled her so much she dropped the sweetsand she was holding.
'How about you? Were you born in a Hold and came to the Weyr to serve dragons and their riders?'
"Wha?"
She looked at him incredulously for several moments before shaking her head, and so irritated over the fact that he thought she was here on her own that she spoke bitingly, not ommiting much.
"I was the only daughter to a Minor Holder. My older brother was the heir and Kanamar and Deverel were twin's that were only a few turns older than me. My grandmother was a vicious old bird who ran the Hold through my gutless father, and my mother was murdered right after giving birth to me by her, because she was much too close to Hauze for my grandmother's pleasure. Hauze was my favorite brother, but he was always getting pulled to my grandmother so she could teach him the stuff that made him learn to run a hold. Then, Hauze sent us away to a near-by Hold in the middle of night, because he snapped. That's when he learned that my Grandmother had killed the only one nice to us in the hold, and he snapped. He killed her, and then left with our Aunt, a Trader, leaving us all alone. I grew up in the new Hold as a `brat, and the twins went to Apprentice in the Harper Hall. The old Holder died, and his son, who's my age, was placed as the new Holder. I had made him mad that the kids always followed me, so the little dimglow got his regent to sign a paper shipping me here as a Drudge."
Very quickly, with vehmonet anger sparking her eyes and voice, Crown clipped out her short story and then whirled back around to attack the dragon's hide anew. With a slight anger problem and no tact, Crown sometimes tended to.... Lash out when insulted. The fact that she was still sore that Hauze never came back, despite promising to come and get her, and she hated her new life, slowly having less and less faith in people as he never showed back up. What a surprise to her if she had known he was here!
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Post by M'kel on Jun 26, 2008 23:36:02 GMT -5
The drudge's gaze often slipped from the dragon's hide to watch M'kel as he spoke, and the young man was enjoying her obvious interest. It was nice to have an attentive listener! And for some reason, he doubted that it was solely out of duty or respect; she genuinely appeared engaged. There was intelligence in that studying gaze beyond the usual dullness of drudges.
It was his turn to study Crown when she reacted with surprise to his question. M'kel wondered briefly if she had expected him to ramble on forever. He supposed that servants might expect such a thing from the Weyrleader. This bronzerider, however, found a two-way conversation much more rewarding, especially with such a curious companion.
The sudden explosion of speech that erupted from the girl took M'kel by surprise, and he, too, paused in his cleaning labours to stare at the emotions flickering across her face. He had not expected to hear that she was born into such a high position, considering that she was now a drudge. This explained the bitterness in her tone. The story took on more than bitterness quite quickly, though, as she spoke scathingly yet briefly of her mother's murder, then proceeded to remark on how her brother had killed their grandmother after smuggling her to another Hold. That she had been sent to the Weyr as a drudge following all of this barely registered for the Weyrleader, his jaw unwittingly hanging open and his eyes fixated on her.
She had spoken so succinctly about what must have been horribly traumatic events in her life, counting off deaths as if they were passing candlemarks. M'kel had no idea how to respond to this vent of emotions once it had finally completed. He hardly noticed that she had even stopped speaking and returned to scrubbing Tirenth's hide. How did one respond to such statements? "That..." he broke off, his mouth not quite working right, "...must have been very hard on you." His tone was soft, if still containing his shock, and he wondered if this would merely bring out another lash of anger.
A great sigh had slipped from the bronze dragon, and he closed some of his inner lids as Crown hit just the right spot. He had shifted a slight bit more, urging her on to newly discovered itches, and rumbled with overall contentment. When the girl paused in her attentions, he waited patiently for their resumption. Upon yet another pause, he glanced back at her momentarily, but she had begun once again by then. When the sweetsand slipped from her hands altogether, Tirenth rumbled in disappointment, whirling eyes considering this confusing girl. Did she want to relieve his itches or not?
Right then, she began scrubbing with such vehemence that even his tough hide registered her ferocity. It didn't hurt, though. This was the 'exfoliation' he had asked for, after all! Tirenth twitched when she suddenly hit a spot that was surprisingly ticklish, and his wings burst open in response. The unexpected movement bowled over M'kel, who was left sputtering in the water. Tirenth quickly craned his head around to look at his rider and the girl, rather embarrassed. Are you all right, mine? Is she all right? M'kel coughed up some more water in response, having gasped when he went under, and hauled himself back to his feet, glancing in Crown's direction.
"Are you okay?"
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Post by .K.aci on Jul 9, 2008 23:44:45 GMT -5
Young when the tragedy had hit her family, Crown only snorted and resisted the urge to snap at him to shut his mouth, as she would have done with any other one of her male friends. She could remember flashes of those nights, the terror and fear still readily called, but the past was the past, and it turned our young girl into the dominant creature she was today.
'That...'
She kept scrubbing, although she listened. Were those tears she was blinking from her eyes, using the ratty haircut to swing out in front of her face and hide her from him? She can't believe she was crying, after all of that. She had cried only once, when Hauze had left and never came back, but she swore that she wouldn't, and tears were a rare factor now. Stupid Bronzerider.
'...must have been very hard on you.'
Even as his quiet tone washed over her tense body and helped relax her, allowing her to stem the tears, she suddenly realized who she had just snapped at.
Oops.
He'd tell the headwoman, of course. Rant her out, and then she'd pay. Not all of her guys would be able to help the poor girl with the mass of chores and punishment she would get. It didn't matter to her, although later she would muddle about it, why he was such in shock. The world had gone crazy when the dragonriders had left, nothing to stop the holders from becoming lazy and without fear from the legendary dragonmen. But now she chewed on her lip, her shoulder half-raised as though expecting a blow, ears pricked. Well, at least if she was in trouble she could make it worth her while.
"Naw, it's my favorite childhood experience."
Sarcasm invaded every word, hard and thick as she refused to look at him still. That was, until...
WHAM!
Small and light for her age, Crown had yelped when the wings had snapped open, throwing her backwards as she went under... And stayed under. Not unconscious, but not quite there, she had smacked her head into a rock, and although the water was shallow enough, the pain had doubled her over underwater. She had just enough sense to hold her breath, repeating what Hauze and the twins had drilled into her when they were teaching her to swim, one of the few times they had all been able to play. She had been young, that was for sure.
'Don't breathe in, that way, when you start to sink, one of us can come get you.'
In that odd half-dead moments, she thought wryly that if she died then she wouldn't have to figure out a way to go to the gather. But then again, the dragon might step on her. That'd be a funny way to die. Drowned while everyone was looking for her, stuck under a dragon leg. And then her head, apparently mad that it wasn't paying enough attention to it, took that moment to stab a sharp white-hot knife into her skull, and without thinking she shouted, letting all of her air out, and inhaling some as she panicked, unable to move and unable to think except that she really didn't want to die.
//couldn't help myself. XDD sorry it's not as good as yours, it is now 1 in the morning...
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Post by M'kel on Jul 17, 2008 13:48:28 GMT -5
((...I am in too many threads. lol! Sorry, for the wait, Kaci))
The drudge's bitter, sarcastic response was the last thing that M'kel had heard as he went under the water, but the memory of it quickly vanished as his hazel eyes scoured the surface near Tirenth's hind leg. Crown had failed to resurface. He remained where he stood for a moment, disbelieving that anything could have gone wrong. The water wasn't that deep...surely everyone could swim...her clothing couldn't be bogging her down...
A mere second later, and the Weyrleader had vanished as well. Once he had begun to react, his decision was instantaneous, and the bronzerider was under the water, knowing it would be far easier to reach her by swimming than trying to wade out. Tirenth's limbs remained perfectly still, although his eyes whirled at a frenzied pace as he sensed the direness of this situation. He dipped his head under water to watch his rider's progress, seeking to direct M'kel with his better eyesight if necessary. This Lake was far from the crystal clear waters of the ocean, and Tirenth was unwittingly casting a shadow where the girl had drifted.
M'kel breached the surface, breathing hard, now at the location where he had seen Crown last. He felt a surge of panic as he glanced around, for she still had not reappeared, as he had hoped she might in the time it took him to swim down Tirenth's length. Tirenth rumbled in distress, his neck extended as far as possible without shifting his bulk, and he was unwilling to move for fear of crushing the dainty girl. Neither of them had spotted her yet, and his rider began to fear that the strength of Tirenth's wings had sent her far from him, for she was small and light and could easily drift away.
Gritting his teeth and taking a deep breath, M'kel dove under the water once more, making his way along the nearby bottom and feeling the ground, just in case he couldn't spot her. He was beginning to doubt the ability of his eyes entirely; surely, she must be near! A sudden idea came to Tirenth, and he began moving his tail gently through the water, creating as little water movement as possible, feeling with it for the drudge's form.
THERE! they thought as one at the same moment. Tirenth's tail had brushed Crown just as M'kel had spotted a limp hand drifting aimlessly to his left. His lungs were screaming for air now, but the bronzerider surged forward, wrapping his arms around the girl and drawing her to the surface with him. Tirenth aided both by wrapping his tail firmly around rider and girl, lifting them high enough for both to be in the air, then wading quickly towards the beach to deposit them on the sand. "Crown!" M'kel cried, ignoring the fact that they were squeezed together by an over-excited bronze's tail. "Are you all right? Can you hear me?" He was breathing hard, blonde hair plastered to his face, and his eyes were wide with fear and concern.
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Post by .K.aci on Jul 20, 2008 22:59:07 GMT -5
//i really don't mind, i'm behind in places too. ^^
Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid. She chided herself at this point, languidly floating. She couldn't remember why she was stupid, but she knew that she be doing something... The problem was that her fingers weren't quite responding, and her body wasn't much better. Why wasn't she moving? Why did she have to? Don't inhale. Silly voices, she'd done that already!
But something stopped her from inhaling, a memory that was viciously ripping threw her mind. The blocks that were normally thrown up were gone as she drifted to and from conscious, barely able to think. Instead her mind was ravished as thoughts and memories that she had buried viciously struck through.
The twins, poking at her from both sides, teaching her the fine art of mimicking the drudge that watched them to drive her crazy --
Her grandmother at the table, sitting on her father's left, sniffing over the grimy look of her only granddaughter, scolding her with eyes as bleak as stones --
Her father, the man she barely knew, the smells of alcohol heavy always around him and the light musk of no work as she crawled into his lap for just a few moments, pretending the world was alright --
Dev and her ganging up on Kanamar to convince him after another tumble that the small scrape that wouldn't stop bleeding had to be checked at. This one was memorable, for the young girl had held her brother's hand as he was dragged, white-faced and scared, into the Healer's room. Never did she remember her solid quiet brother so bold, so loud, so... Afraid. --
Later, learning that Kanamar (in a rare moment that she didn't have both of the brother's haunting over her) had a sense of humor, dry and quirky that had her rolling on the ground before long. --
And then the one that she fought so hard to ignore, to push aside, the turning point in which she believed her eldest brother wasn't the bad person she had labeled him for. The twins were teaching her to swim, and Hauze, as always, lounged nearby, quiet, watching, with a touch of sunlight in his eyes and quiet amusement that she placed as boredom. She had come back later to the lake, not quiet yet eight full turns, determined to get better to prove to Hauze that she could swim just as well as the twins. She never noticed him, under the tree in the corner, even as she jumped in and slipped on the muddy bottom, hitting her head against a rock. Hauze had risen right away, diving into the water after her small body,
grabbing her around her waist and tugging her up,
pulling her up into the air even as he dropped her on shore, voice intense, a stream of curses and pleading as she fought to breathe, his voice calling...
Crown!
Crown? Her name was Claudia... No, she told herself exasperatedly, of course it was Crown, didn't she remember?
But she did remember the strong arms around her, holding her tight, caring and speaking what her brother never voiced...
'Are you all right? Can you hear me?'
And it came rushing back as she twisted, writhing in his grip, coughing up the water that had settled in her lungs as she fought to put in oxygen. Her eyes wide open, she found herself in arms again, and even though rationally she knew that it wasn't her older brother, she clung to them the same, ragged breaths as a few hot tears escaped. Even then, her mask went back into place, cracked wider now as he saved her, letting the tears mingle with the water on her face and forgetting about the existence.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
The first words, of course, were this. He couldn't be mad, could he? Even as she apologized she clung, monkey tight, regardless of the tail, to the man.
"I didn't mean to snap, I didn't mean to fall..."
Her head hurt suddenly, even as she paused to cough again, tucking her head to her side in an effort to be polite. Throbbing, and she winced, but the wake up call was almost welcome as she squirmed away from him, loosening up.
"I'm sorry..."
Ignore the pain, she knew. Ignore it, it would go away.
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Post by M'kel on Jul 22, 2008 13:55:39 GMT -5
Cold fear began to seep through his limbs as M'kel gazed hopelessly at the lolling head of the girl who appeared unconscious. His mind began to frantically work, attempting to figure out just how long she had been under water. Were her lungs already full of water? Was she already...?
Just then, her eyes burst open, accompanied by a spasming cough as Crown choked up the water she had swallowed. Although they had only been above air for a moment or two with no movement from her, it had felt like far longer to the panicked bronzerider. Her arms suddenly tightened around him as she clung, seemingly still fearful, and she began to apologize over and over again. M'kel's arms were still around her, as they had been when Tirenth's tail had pinned them together, so he gave her a slight squeeze, attempting reassurance (although Tirenth's tail was certainly squeezing tightly enough for the both of them!).
"There's nothing to apologize for," he tried to break in, but the girl contined her rapid apologies, despite the fact that her face suddenly appeared to gray with pain. M'kel's jaw clenched in pained sympathy, and he wondered briefly what he should do if she started to become hysterical. At this point, however, the Weyrleader hoped that she needed nothing more than a hug and a comforting word.
No, I am sorry, Tirenth interrupted suddenly, speaking directly to Crown. The bronze was miserable over the entire affair, for it was the unexpected opening of his wings that had driven her under water. He added as an aside to M'kel, Is she all right, mine? I didn't damage her, did I? The bronzerider was rather in shock and didn't respond for a moment. His dragon had never spoken to another person before. Although, in the circumstances, he could understand it, but it was still a strange thing.
I think so, he replied, but before M'kel could get more than a glance over Crown, Tirenth's tail suddenly uncurled from around them and they were both dropped unceremoniously onto the sand. "Ow!" M'kel moaned, having thumped his head on the hard sand now. "Thanks, Tirenth," he grunted, flopping over onto his back and breathing deeply for a moment.
Sorry... the bronze said again, turning to stand above the pair and prodding both with his snout. I really wanted to put you down, so I could look for myself. He started to sniff Crown, as if that would somehow reveal a hidden injury.
M'kel groaned, batting off the bronze snout that was bumping against him as well. "Crown, can you please tell Tirenth if you're okay? 'Cause he won't get his nose out of our faces until you do..."
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Post by .K.aci on Jul 24, 2008 13:00:21 GMT -5
'There's nothing to apologize for.'
The words went unheard as she kept murmuring, over and over that she was so sorry, that she shouldn't have snapped at the Weyrleader, for goodness sakes! It was not his words that silenced her, however. It was the massive, deep rumbling that filled her mind and made her suddenly freeze, eyes wide in wonderment and surprise.
\\No, I am sorry.
Silence in her mind, which suddenly seemed so prominant as the voice receded.
Wow.
She was so going to get a dragon, even if she made a Bronze Impress her. Sweet and kind, noble and caring, strong and brave, respectful and mighty... They were so cool... Adoration in her eyes as she forgot about the pain, she could only watch as the great whirling eyes turned to his Rider.
And then she was falling, letting out an angry growl as she twisted, catlike, trying to land on the flat of her arms, slapping the ground to absorb the blow. However, she didn't think of the affect on her head, and even as she landed her neck snapped back. With a simper of pain she curled up into a fetal position, holding the aching object. Even as she fought down the wave of sickness something very big was bumping into her, nosing her and breathing warm air onto her body. Cracking open a blue eye, she stared straight into the face of the Bronze.
'Crown, can you please tell Tirenth if you're okay? 'Cause he won't get his nose out of our faces until you do...'
A giggle, hoarse but still there, grated against her throat as it fought to escape.
"I'm perfectly alright, Tirenth, I promise. It wasn't your fault the rock was right there, and I got startled."
She took that moment to stretch out, slowly, but with an easier time now, sitting up and holding her head with one arm.
"I've done worse. Are you alright, Weyrleader?"
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