Post by Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro) on Mar 5, 2015 2:57:38 GMT -8
It was a good thing that Dalonia liked T’kar’s face when he was ticked off, because the flash of anger that crossed it at her first words, at her identification of the attackers as her own flesh and blood, was probably one of the most intense expressions of that emotion that had ever appeared on his face, for all of its brevity, and the remnants of it hovered in his eyes. Then she continued.
“My nose?” T’kar asked. He knew he’d heard her properly, but he couldn’t have heard her properly. It made no sense.
Oooh, that face! The empty cup was forgotten in her lap as she smiled. Her head started to tip to the other side now as she stared at his face, only snapping back upright when he seemed confused about what she'd said. Rolling her eyes, exasperated, she rubbed absentmindedly at the loose, generic tunic that she'd been put into. There were bits of her that itched; mainly the spots where she'd been stabbed.
"Yes, yer nooose." Dalonia drawled. "It want to pet yer nose. C'mere!" She leaned forward, reaching for him. Apparently the fellis had a strange affect on the wherhandler, making he act quite strange. But she was intent on touching his face. It wasn't a rational urge but the thoughts had come from her head. Unfiltered and unrestrained; that was what fellis did to Dalonia Jindarex. Once she came down, it wasn't likely she'd take it again.
Post by Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro) on Mar 5, 2015 9:39:49 GMT -8
What on Pern…?
T’kar started to lean away, than sighed and shifted closer. She’d just been attacked by her brothers, the poor woman deserved a break.
“They do anything like this before?” T’kar asked. Remembering how insistent she’d been not just on the part about leaving and going back to Rainbow Mists, but that he leave without her, he added: “Why did you tell me to go without you?” That part didn’t make any sense. He would have thought that she would have wanted to get herself away as fast as possible. Certainly the one time he’d broken up a “little rough play” (in the words of one of the young men he’d laid into, all of whom had been older than his then 16 turn old self), the victim hadn’t even stuck around long enough for him to identify her, just sprinted out of there as fast as she could.
When T'kar hesitated before leaning in, Dalonia very nearly pouted. Granted it was a disgruntled pout but it was there, lingering in case he decided to rebel against her urge to pet him. But then he leaned in and she sighed contentedly, though her expression remained vaguely troubled as she reached out and began to stroke his face with a single finger from brow down the length of his nose.
"All my life, so far back as I can remember." Her voice was soft and again so casual that it made what she was saying all the more shocking. Though when he asked why she'd told him to leave, her eyes focused and she looked directly at T'kar, her finger resting on the tip of his nose. When she spoke again it was as though she were stating something that should have been obvious to him. "They will take you to hurt me."
Her hand fell back into her lap and her and the woman he found before him barely looked like the woman he'd known for the past three turns. It was a glimpse at what bits of her she'd managed to keep from being snuffed out all mixed up with fellis which made her far too forthcoming and unguarded. "I can't let anyone hurt you. You're good and you have friends and a sister and the babies and the Weyrwoman. People need you around; they want you around. They don't..." Apparently fellis also made her a bit emotional. Not emotional like normal people but emotional in the sense that she was talking about things that she felt, things that weren't related to work.
Post by Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro) on Mar 5, 2015 11:51:39 GMT -8
T’kar raised an eyebrow at Dalonia’s stroking his nose. Something, probably the fellis, was clearly doing a number to the woman’s normal behavior. He didn’t know what to say to her answers though, so he settled for giving her a one armed hug. “People do care about you,” he whispered. “They do need you.” He wasn’t sure what it said about the system at Rainbow Mists, that the security arrangements were centered around this one woman, but they were, and maybe it was the best way to do things.
He stained silent for a moment, letting the silence spin out. It was Wamarna shifting her weight that made him wonder, and in wondering, ask: “Did you have a favorite story, as a kid?” He grinned, tipping his head back as if he could summon back early days just by recalling them. “Alyga and Gyara always loved “The Adventures of Wamarna”.” He didn’t bother mentioning that he’d made up new stories based around the same character, or that Boot had often been a prop for the stories.
Dalonia snorted and shook her head, reaching out to pat T'kar on the had. He was good, he would say that. But it wasn't true. People didn't really care. How could they care? "They only need me to do the job. They need me to be the monster in the shadows, an' that's fine." She gave a wry smile and neither moved away or towards him as he hugged her. When he pulled back and seemed to be thinking, Dalonia picked at the blanket until he spoke again.
"All the stories I was told were about the tyranny and oppression of dragonriders." She snickered and smiled, looking up from beneath dark lashes. "I don't think you would care for them." She hadn't even cared for them. When she'd been little, they'd terrified her. But even in her drugged state she picked up on something. "Who's Gyara?" She knew the one sister with the bad eyes was Alyga. Then another realization. "You named your littlest vermin after the story?" That was kind of adorable. Pest, who had snuck from his perch to the side of the bed, onto the bed was crawling across the cot and into Dalonia's lap. The woman began to stroke him, much like she had done to T'kar earlier. "When can we go home?"
Post by Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro) on Mar 5, 2015 12:53:06 GMT -8
T’kar shook his head at the stories she’d heard as a kid. No wonder she had been so edgy at the Weyr. Then she asked about Gyara, and his breath caught. It had been so long since he’d mentioned those stories to anyone — the subject didn’t come up very often — that he’d just let that name slip out.
“She… was my other sister,” he answered quietly. “Alyga’s twin.” The the smile that had lifted the corners of his lips earlier turned into a sad one. A smile still, for remembered happiness, but sad, for the memory of that time cut short.
“We can go home when you’re rested,” he continued. “Which is going to be a minimum of another day. You need to regain strength after being LifeWinged back into action.”
Was. Dalonia frowned and set Pest aside and though she was a bit wobbly, she reached out to stroke T'kar's nose again. She didn't know why it fascinated her or why petting it made her feel calm. She just hoped that it made him feel better as well. After she'd stroked his nose a few more times, she settled back and stroked her own nose; yup, felt nice. "Sorry about that. I have no idea how you feel though. Your sister is sweet and good and I just wish my brothers would die...monster in the dark." Sighing, she pulled Pest back into her lap and flipped the Moonlight onto his back and then traced the pale swirls on his belly until he purred.
"Can't I rest when we're home? The longer ya stay here...I don't...my entire body feels fuzzy right now, how am I supposed t' protect ya?" She frowned and continued stroking Pest's belly until the firelizard was nearly passed out. "Maybe you should take Alyga and go ahead." But then in something happened to her, who would look after T'kar and the Weyr? Tellard? Not fardling likely! But she wanted them safe and if that meant she would be left defenseless for a day, well she'd just have to get T'kar to smuggle her a blade for under her pillow. But try as she might, her mind wouldn't stay focused on the serious topic. "I had a puppy once." She smiled and stroked Pest's chin.
Post by Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro) on Mar 6, 2015 0:36:37 GMT -8
“Usually I don’t think about it that much, anymore,” T’kar said quietly. He couldn’t imagine what it must be like, to have living family members that tried to kill you and that you wanted dead. His lips twisted, though with amusement at Dalonia’s nose stroking or sadness for her and his lost sister, he couldn’t say.
“You would certainly be able to rest when we got home, but that doesn’t make going between while still recovering energy any more of a good idea,” T’kar countered. “Besides, I swore to stay here with you until the Healers say you can leave, and Alyga is back at Rainbow Mists by now.”
“What was his name, your puppy?” T’kar asked. He’d wanted a canine when he’d been younger, but his mother and Galdoc had never been able to afford one, and then he’d had Boot, and had decided that a firelizard was better than a puppy.
Good, the girl was safe. She wouldn't put it past Barrek or her brothers to use the girl to draw out T'kar. Ancalanath was safe and Dalosk could defend himself. But once more, she couldn't seem to stay focused on the very real threat that faced them. It was like her mind was nothing more that a cloud in the sky, subjected to every wind or breeze. Her lips curled though, at the thought of that stray mutt she'd fallen in love with as a child. She'd still been quite young and her "training" had only just begun with her brothers and Barrek.
"His name was Stinky." She said with a smirk. Her face had softened at the memory of him. He'd been a sickly thing but always happy to see her and whatever food she'd been able to steal for him. She'd kept him hidden in an alley. "I taught him to dance to get his food." She said with a faint smile. He'd been such a good, happy puppy. Then the smile fell away and she shrugged.
Post by Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro) on Mar 16, 2015 12:38:21 GMT -8
T’kar opened his mouth to ask her what had happened to the canine, then closed it again. Considering what her brothers had just tried, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. He was also fairly sure that Dalonia probably didn’t want to talk about it.
“What did your mother think of naming the canine ‘Stinky’?” he asked instead. He could well imagine what his mother, who had always insisted on politeness and consideration, would have reacted to anyone naming any creature something like “Stinky”. He glanced over to the empty fellis bottle on the table, then drifted back to Dalonia’s face. He’d never seen her like this awake, only when she was asleep — though he’d only seen her sleep twice, unless one counted the drugged state that had preceded the current moment. She seemed so relaxed and peaceful, without any sign of the tension that had led to all those nicknames that people seemed to think he didn’t know about.
"She didn't think much of anything, being dead and all." She really didn't remember her mother. She'd been too young when the woman had died and too much had happened for her to hang on to any memory of her. Just a vague impression of small, cool hands. Her father had been the only parent she remembered and it was a miracle that she could considering how absent he'd been from their lives. She did remember the shouting though. Anytime he did bother to come home there was always shouting. Then there was just her brothers and things got worse.
"Don't matter anyway. He didn't live very long." Her face went slack as she looked down at Pest who was a puddle of Moonlight on the bed. He didn't know why he was getting so much love and attention but he wasn't about to question it. He was going to bask in the glory of Dalonia affection while it lasted. "Nothing that's mine ever lasts long around my brothers."
A crease appeared between her brow as she saw in her mind's eye, her brother toss aside the limp body of the little darkblue firelizard. From his perch at the head of the bed, Thief crooned softly. "I can't let them do that to you. T'kar please can we leave? I just want to go home." At first it was hard to tell if she was talking Pest until she looked up and spoke directly to the dragonrider. "I know you're not mine but they won't care."
Post by Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro) on Jun 3, 2015 15:11:41 GMT -8
“We can leave after you’ve rested,” T’kar reiterated calmly. “It will be at least another day.” The Healers had told him that she was likely to experience short-term memory issues while the fellis worked through her system, though he somehow doubted that her repeating the question about leaving had anything to do with short term memory being affected by fellis.
“Nor will they have a chance, not at either one of us,” T’kar stated. He paused for a second, not really sure he wanted to ask, but… she hadn’t answered him that night they’d gotten drunk, or at least, if she had, he hadn’t remembered it. Perhaps this would work better.
“What did they do to you, other than killing your pets?” he asked quietly, reaching out to run a hand through her hair, a gesture of comfort.
Her lower lip jutted out in something that resembled a pout. Why wouldn't he just take her home. She didn't want to be here. Her brothers were going to find them. They would hurt him and it would be her fault. He didn't know what they could be like, he only knew a fraction of it. But then he asked a question that, even in her dazed state, made her anxiously look about to see if her brothers were hiding in the shadows of the room. Then a hand slid into her hair and she leaned into the caress and closed her eyes.
"They would take turns ambushing me. Said I needed to learn to be prepared. They would grab me from behind or come out of nowhere. If I screamed they'd beat me and if I cried they beat me harder. After I got a bit older..." She gestured to her chest vaguely and her brow furrowed with a frown. She turned her face away from him, eyes fixing on a random speck of nothing. In that same monotone, matter of fact voice she stroked her fingers over Pest's belly. "They would grab...they never did more than grope but they threatened to do more. They always threatened to do more than they did but there were days I could barely move after they got through with me." Shrugging one shoulder as though trying to shake off the memory, she finally lifted her gaze to him, a faint smile on her lips. "You shouldn't ask so many questions. You don't really want to know the answers."
Post by Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro) on Jun 22, 2015 20:11:06 GMT -8
T’kar’s hand paused, ever so briefly, before he forced it to continue. His other hand twitched, as if it wanted to stabilize the sheath that rested at his side. If he ever saw the pair of them again, Dalonia’s brother were dead men.
Only if I don’t eat them first.
T’kar’s nostrils flared. I could live with that, he informed Ancalanath. His eyes were snapping, anger tightening the muscles around them and narrowing the pupils so that there seemed to be amber flames within them.
“Maybe I need to know them though,” he countered, hooking a wayward strand of her hair with his thumb and brushing it back to join the others. “We should probably find a happier subject, though, before you fall asleep again.” The hard part of course, was going to be accomplishing that task. He already knew better than to ask about pets, her family, Dalosk, childhood stories… the number of possible happy subjects was running low, and he doubted she would consider the twins to be one either. He could try it though.
“What do you think of plush firelizard toys? For Vakaral and Avonia?”