Recovery (OPEN)

[summerrain]

75.09.10, evening

Yuki sat next to her brother's still form. He wasn't allowed to wake, simply due to the extent of his internal injuries. However, the LifeWing on duty was examining the boy, now a young man.

"He's recovering well," said the LifeWing Rider. "I think he should be safe to wake." She turned to her LifeWing, who began to sing softly. Chiara made a face, then groaned softly. Yuki's eyes lit up.


He hurt everywhere. His arms, his head, his chest... What happened... Oh... The Hatching... He was hurt... That's right... He must be in the infirmary... Wait, that song... It was a LifeWing. And the hand that gripped his... It was... It had to be his sister! He knew he had to open his eyes. He had to wake up. To reassure her. He groaned softly, opening his eyes slowly.

"Chiara, you're okay..." Yuki whispered, relieved. "You're going to be fine. There will be other Hatchings. You'll Stand again, little brother."

Chiara simply squeezed her hand. He was weak, tired. He couldn't do much for her, except let her know that he was still alive. Of course, he knew he wouldn't be able to Stand again. The next Hatching would be his last, and then he would age out. Temperanth was going to Rise soon, and Lanikath would probably not have a Clutch again for a while. He would have one more chance to Impress, or he would be a WoodCarver for the rest of his life. He wouldn't mind that too much, but any Candidate wanted to Impress a dragon, to become a Rider.

[shapeshifter]

R'niaan had been meaning to go check on Yuki's brother, to see how the boy was doing. He had not been very nice at the Hatching, basically not caring if the boy died or not. Yet, that's how R'niaan always was.

He made his way to the Infirmary, his stride strong and true as always. He noticed the LifeWing was working on the boy, so he stood in the corner, waiting for the LifeWing to finish...and then he heard a familiar voice.

"Chiara, you're okay..." it said. "You're going to be fine. There will be other Hatchings. You'll Stand again, little brother."

R'niaan crained his neck around and saw Yuki sitting there. He was always nice and kind to her, but he didn't want her to think he had gone soft. He grumbled and began to slowly back out of the Infirmary until he heard Bamath chime in,

R'niaan, stop...it is okay to be like this once in a while...

I know...I just want her to continue to see me as the strong leader I am.

[summerrain]

Yuki smiled sadly down at her brother.

"Sister, I know you're just trying to cheer me up, but there will likely be only one more Hatching between now and when I begin to age out," Chiara said quietly. "And I shall not be well soon enough to Stand for it..."

"No, Chiara, you just have to believe," Yuki insisted.

"But what Hatchling would Impress to someone as injured as me?" he asked rhetorically. "I am too injured to truly ride a dragon." He began to cough, but the fit lasted only a short while.

"You'll be fine Chiara," Yuki said quietly. The LifeWing stopped singing, and Yuki heard something outside. She stood, motioning to Chiara to stay quiet, and went slowly toward the door. She looked outside, surprised by the person who she saw there.

"R'niaan? Why are you lurking outside the door?" she asked him. "You know it's strange to just stand outside a room like that. If you're going to come inside, then come inside."

[shapeshifter]

"Well, I mean I had walked inside and then moved back out. I came to check on your brother to see how long he'd be in here. I want him to start training with my Weyrlings to get him back into physical condition for Candidacy. He needs to Stand, he'd make a good rider if he's anything like you. However, he needs to toughen up." R'niaan had made his way inside and was looking Chiara over, "Look son, as soon as you recover, you need to start mentally and physically pushing yourself to be a Rider. Your health may limit you, but you can only recover fully if you push yourself."

R'niaan sighed and turned to Yuki, "I will be starting Weyrling lessons very, very soon. I want him there as soon as he is able. How long till he will be out of here?" R'niaan inquired.

[summerrain]

The LifeWing Rider turned to R'niaan. "WeyrlingMaster, I must insist that he not be put through any heavy physical activity for a good while," she said. "While his wounds do appear to be healing well, his internal injuries were surprisingly severe. Too much stress on his body could cause those internal wounds to reopen. If that were to happen, then there is a chance he would not be able to Stand at the next Hatching, or the one after that."

"It's not that bad, is it?" Chiara asked, his eyes wide.

"I'm being honest, young man. The first LifeWing to get to you did a really shoddy job, and the girl was just too tired to do that good a job," the LifeWing rider answered. "You've been out for almost a month while your injuries healed. You're still going to be under constant observation for a good while. And there are a good number of things that still need doing. It'll be at least another month, probably longer, before you're allowed to get out of bed. And even then, it'll take a while before you can safely do any extensive activity."

Yuki sighed softly, eyes shimmering sadly. Chiara noticed, and smiled at her.

"Sister, it will be alright," he told her. "I'll heal, I will recover, and then I will Stand again." He was determined now, it was in his eyes. He would Stand again, for his sister's sake.

"Determination is a good thing, but you must rest for now," the LifeWing rider insisted. "And drink this. It's an herbal mixture that will speed up your healing. It won't taste very good," she warned. Chiara nodded and drank the herbal liquid in the cup on the table beside the bed. He winced and shuddered, but drank it all.

Yuki felt terrible... This is exactly what she had wanted to prevent when her brother was brought to the Weyr. She had been happy when he was made a Candidate. That meant he was away from the Hold and the man who had kidnapped her as a child. But now... She squeezed her eyes shut. There was nothing she could do to help him now... And it made her heart heavy.

Chiara saw the anguish his sister was feeling, and it echoed in his own heart. He knew there was nothing he could say to comfort her. But he hadn't known how bad his injuries were either. He placed the cup back on the table, then placed his less-injured hand in his lap. His right arm was in a sling, his upper left arm bandaged. He sighed softly. Was there anything he could do...?

[shapeshifter]

"What good are LifeWings then anyway if they can't heal after over a month in the Infirmary? We need every Candidate possible ready, we never know when a Queen will rise and it's hard to find Candidates!" R'niaan huffed, irritated that Yuki's brother had not been put back to good health. "Either way, he will be an excellent Rider once your job is done and he can stand." He snipped at the LifeWing.

He looked over at Chiara, "You'll be fine soon enough son! Just rest, do as your told but even slight physical movement in your bed can help you recover too...."

[summerrain]

The LifeWing turned to the CrimsonRider. "It takes time to heal injuries as severe as his!" she told him sternly. "And because of the shoddy jobs done at the Hatching, the risk of infection was dangerously high. Not only did I have to heal the original wounds, but I had to repair what was done at the Hatching." She sighed softly. "I... I will admit to not being as skilled as some of my peers, but there have been so many issues that most of them were called out to help with the larger dragons who cannot be brought inside."

Yuki looked at R'niaan. "I'm sure she's going slow to make sure that everything is done properly," she insisted. "What if the healing was rushed, and then something happened to send my brother right back here?"

"I would rather stay here longer if it meant I wouldn't have to return," Chiara admitted, his voice soft.

"I would appreciate if you did not lecture me about something that I have more experience with, Weyrlingmaster," the LifeWing rider said. "I understand that you rank higher than myself in the Weyr's hierarchy, but the LifeWing riders have the final say in a patient's well-being." While explaining herself, her tone was respectful, for she was younger than the CrimsonRider as well. Her eyes did not reflect any disobedience, but a simple desire for him to understand. "The boy's just allowed to wake, WeyrlingMaster. I am not of high enough rank in the LifeWings to be able to clear a patient from the Infirmary." Her voice was softer now, after her original outburst. "I will let the Master Healer know as soon as he returns from his rounds. However, it is beyond my rank to allow a patient to leave. If you still wish him to join your Weyrlings during lessons, then I shall let you know as soon as the Master Healers say he may be discharged." She had explained herself, and now she offered him a compromise. That was the best way to talk to those of higher rank, so the Master Healers had told her. Remain calm, explain yourself, then offer a compromise.

Yuki nodded. "If it's alright, I'd like to leave my Grace here with Chiara," she said. As if she'd been listening the whole time, which she probably had, the Silver flit with her Gold wings popped into existence above R'niaan's head. She glided over to the bed, landing on Chiara's lap. She could tell that he was injured, and she didn't want to hurt him more. Hers was worried about this boy, and it made her worried for him too. "She can get a message to us at any moment. I'm sure that will appeal to you?" she asked, looking over at R'niaan. He wasn't unreasonable, that much she knew.

[shapeshifter]

R'niaan sighed, "I understand that, and whoever the LifeWing who did the repairs should be re-taught obviously." He was not happy with how long healing processes were taking, "Just like that new CitrineRider, no telling how long till she's fully healed. Either way, I will need my Weyrlings inspected soon because I will be putting them all through intense physical training of their own. I will not have slack Riders like other Weyrs have. I know what our history has, and history tends to repeat itself." R'niaan said the last sentence in such a grim tone it could have sent chills up anyone's spine.

He did like the compromise, "You let me know when he's ready, that's the least that can happen...and he is to report straight to me. He needs to build his mental and physical stamina." He wanted this boy to be a tougher Candidate, much like L'van and B'rek were. Those were some strapping young men he'd have to put into shape. He'd definitely have to push them harder.

[summerrain]

"Mental stamina should be easier to build than you think," Yuki said with a small smile. "I remember some of the puzzles the healers at the Hold gave me to ponder when I was recovering as a child." She said it vaguely, leaving a confused look on Chiara's face. She knew that R'niaan would be able to understand though. "Riddles that cause the mind to ponder them for a good while." She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to remember them.

"Okay. Here's one. There are four brothers in this world that were all born together. The first runs and never wearies. The second eats and is never full. The third drinks and is always thirsty. The fourth sings a song that is never good. Who are they?" Chiara's expression became thoughtful as he contemplated it. Yuki looked over to R'niaan. "Do you think you can solve it?" she asked him, smiling slightly.

The LifeWing rider became silent, watching the exchange with a small smile on her face. She would wait for the Master Healer on duty to return, but for now she just watched from the doorway to the room used mainly for Hatchlings who were injured in their Hatchings, like the most recent ones.

[shapeshifter]

"Mental stamina by riddles? No, I mean the kind you would need behind a sword. The kind you would need to ram someone through..." He hissed, "Riddles have never been my thing but I'll assume Famine, Drought, Strength...and tone deaf?" He laughed at his answers, not really considering the riddle at all. He was more one of lies and manipulation than worrying with a riddle.

You should really think before you speak sometimes...

Why don't you give me the answer then?

You have a point there. However, at least I do not make such a fool of myself and I think before I answer.

Touche.

[summerrain]

Yuki was surprised by his answers, but there was a lot that she didn't know about him. She figured it must've been because of his past as a power-hungry individual that caused him to answer like that. Chiara's thoughtful expression suddenly eased as his eyes lit up.

"Water, fire, earth, and wind," he said with certainty. "Rivers never stop flowing, fires must always be fed in order to burn, the earth eventually dries after every storm, and the wind only makes one sound."

Yuki nodded, smiling slightly. "There are different kinds of warriors," she said, not looking at R'niaan. "There are the fighters, and while that does require mental stamina, there are no warriors without the strategists behind the scenes. Warriors make the bulk of a fighting force, but the strategists are the brains. Warriors alone do not make a Weyr, after all." She saw Chiara attempt to hold back a yawn, and she looked over at the LifeWing rider.

"It would be best if you left for tonight," the LifeWing rider said. "There are some tests that need to be run, and after that it would be best for him to sleep. He has been unconscious for a month, and his body will not be as strong as it was. Now that the boy is awake, the healing process can gain some speed. And, WeyrlingMaster, I shall let you know as soon as he is allowed to leave. But I ask, in the interest of Chiara and the rest of the patients, that you leave for tonight."

Yuki nodded. "I'll come back in the morning," she told her brother. She left, but waited outside for R'niaan. She stopped him when he left the Infirmary. "I must thank you for your concern over my brother," she told him softly, her eyes on the ground. "However... There must have been a better way to go about that? I understand that you wish to build the strength of the Weyr's riders, but perhaps starting with my injured brother is not the best place..." She didn't look at his face, keeping her gaze directed at the floor. It was almost like... No. She wouldn't think about him any more. He made it very clear to her that he didn't want a relationship with her. And she was here, now. That man was in her past.

{Mine, are you alright?} came Ayleneth's voice.

I'm... I will be. I just need time to figure things out. That's all.

Ayleneth hovered at the edges of Yuki's mind. Yuki turned away from the man before her. "Sorry... I didn't mean to sound disrespectful..." She felt like the child her mother had raised; a girl destined for nothing but housework and child-rearing. She was nervous suddenly. How was she to deal with the creatures known as men? One had rejected her, and the other was confusing her at every turn. Would a man ever just give her a straight answer about anything...?

[shapeshifter]

R'niaan nodded to the LifeWing Rider and walked out of the Infirmary. He wasn't far outside the door when Yuki turned to him, asking him multiple questions. He had a darker look grace his face, "Yes, I know but the weakest always come out the strongest. I know he's sick but he needs to start now if he's ever going to be a Rider. I am brute strength, I am manipulative, I am stealth....I know how to lead people to greatness. However, I try not to keep down the path that I once was."

He lifted his finger under Yuki's chin and pushed it up to make him look at her. He kissed her softly and said in a soft tone, "I will ease up with your brother's well being, however, you will need to see how we train Weyrlings where I am from..." He half grinned, this odd...almost dark look gracing his eyes. "Disrespect? You're being a woman...I can't blame you for that." He had his happy full grin appear followed up by a chuckle.

[summerrain]

She noticed the dark look in his eyes when he spoke to her again. She could hear it in his voice. It scared her. But... He had his moments of sweet gentility, moments that made her heart race.

"I will leave him in your hands then," Yuki said after he kissed her. "However, I do not want to see him in here again... Not for a good while. I know you will do what is best for him." She took his hand gently. "You know I... I like you... A lot... But he is my brother. He is family. And with ties between this Weyr and Icy Caverns Hold cut, we are all each other has." She looked down again, but only for a moment. His smile was back; his full, happy grin was back where it belonged, and it made her smile slightly too. It reassured her when nothing else could.