Time and Snuggles Will Heal All Wounds (T'ren)

[Cait]

T'ren

77.02.20 | Same time as Hatching


The Hatching was beginning but there was at least one pair that made no move to join the rush to the Sands. Rekkora Castor hadn't left her weyr since the incident just days before. She had barely eaten, what sleep she got was either incredibly restless or born of complete exhaustion. In fact, she hadn't looked like such a mess well...since ever; certainly not since she'd Impressed to Sunvoiath. She'd looked nothing more and nothing less than a perfect, pretty queenrider. Pretty and vain and everything anyone expected of her.

But now she was simply a lost and hurting girl, she was no one but herself. She wasn't the Abyssrider or even a Queenrider. She was Rekkora and her heart was broken. Kumori was gone and she hand't realized how much the old woman had meant to her until she'd seen her broken, bloody body laying in the corridor.

It was an image that she couldn't shake. She couldn't sleep it away or pace it away. She'd even tried soaking it away but all she'd ended up doing was sitting until her skin was pruned and then some. Now she was sitting in front of the fire, wrapped in her robe and staring at the dancing flames.

[smear:111111]Rekkora, you have a visitor.[/smear:d5a514]

Send them in.

[smear:111111]You are not dressed, and your hair...[/smear:d5a514]

I don't care. Rekkora's hair hung in damp tangles down her back clear to her waist. Dressed as she was in her large, plush robe, she wasn't exactly looking her best. But she couldn't be bothered to care at the moment. If someone wanted to intrude on her solitude then they would just have to deal with her attire.

[smear:111111]Very well.[/smear:d5a514]

[T'ren]

S'rico had considered joining the hatching festivities, the commotion seemed a bit too much for him this morning. He wasn't sure how the hatching would even turn out, with Archith's one egg being stolen. Sharding thieves. He couldn't help but roll his eyes at the thought. Not to mention the incident with Kumori a few days before. It'd seemed like ages to him since it happened, he'd hurried to Rekkora's side, cursing himself as if there was something he personally could've done to stop it. He guessed for one, he could've been somewhere other than in the kitchens shoveling meat rolls in his trap. Too late to think of should have and could haves now though. His heart still pained for Rekkora, and he'd been doing his best to drag her out of her slump. She was usually the one pulling S'rico out of the shadows, brightening his days..Faranath did she ever make them intersting. He simply smiled at the thought.

As he neared her weyr, the worry in his stomach rippled quietly through him. He sighed softly as he pushed on the door. "Rekkora..?" He called softly as he entered, closing the door quietly and walking across the floor to her. S'rico glanced over her damp tangled hair, the girl was clearly a broken being at this point. And his heart broke at the sight of her. He removed his riding boots, placing them near the door and padded softly across the floor to her. No words for the moment, just company. S'rico sat next to the woman, leaning forward to glance at her face. Worry clearly worn across his own face, he sat back and spoke. "I'm here for you. I will always be." 

[Cait]

S'rico. Rekkora was aware that she wasn't entirely alone at the Weyr. Well at least somewhat. There were others who cared about her but Sunvoiath was far more adept at recognizing such things than she was. The only thing she could be certain of was that for one reason or another, S'rico was there. He was here now and she pulled her knees up to her chest as he moved to sit beside her. She wasn't sure if he liked her because she'd wanted him to like her and had made it happen as she had with so many others, or if he was there because he actually wanted to be. She wasn't sure of much at the moment aside from Sunvoiath so it was nice to have S'rico's steady presence.

Turning her head, she looked back at him, dark circles under her red-rimmed eyes making her look all the more lost and worn. For him she attempted a small smile, though it was a very poor smile indeed. A sincere sort of man, at the very least she believed that he, of all people, wouldn't abandon her. "Thank you."

Looking back to the fire, she rested her chin on her knees and reached out to find his hand with her own. Was it their usual lunch time? She supposed it might be. She wasn't feeling particularly hungry.

[T'ren]

He knew full well that she'd need the company, he'd not spend much time from her side since the incident itself. S'rico had helped her change out of her blood-stained clothing, and helped to calm her down. He wasn't sure what else he could do for her, except maybe brush her hair for her. The bronze-crimson rider just knew that she needed him right now. And so he sat in silence for a few moments, thinking. 

S'rico let a soft smile wear across his face when she attempted a smile for him. "There you go." He said softly, nodding when she thanked him. Which there was no need for, in S'rico's eyes, he was doing his duty. She meant so much to him at this point, he wasn't sure what he'd do without her. She pushed him to be more social, and filled his mundane days with energy and fun. 

He didn't take his eyes from her when she glanced back to the fire, he watched her carefully instead. Her features glowing in the light of the flickering fire, a smile crawled across his stubbled face again. He took her hand in his when she reached for it, squeezing it gently. "Hold on a moment." He spoke, letting go of her hand and standing up. He moved across the room quietly, knowing he'd seen a brush of hers somewhere. Once he'd located it he returned to her side, sitting closer to her, his legs crossed. "Come here. Let me help you." He reached for her, his fingers gently brushing a few strands of hair from her face.

[Cait]

Rekkora's eyes drifted shut briefly as S'rico gave her hand a squeeze. She was exhausted, more so emotionally than physically. Caring about anything right now was just too much effort. She would snap out of it eventually, she was of strong, northern stock, but being in the south for so long had thinned her blood and some might say the ice in her heart. Of course she'd never been as stoic as the rest of her family, but she had been aloof to a certain extent. There was always a part of her that was kept away from others. She was more and more what others wanted her to be than what she was, it seemed.

She was so caught in her brooding thought cycle that when S'rico returned, his voice startled her. Opening her eyes, it took her a moment for her to realize what it was that he wanted from her. Once she connected the brush in his hands with the fact that her hair hadn't been brushed, she complied with his request, crawling over to sit in front of his crossed legs.She drew her knees back to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She hadn't had someone else brush her hair in a long, long time. "Why are you so nice to me?"

Gone was her usual arrogance and wit. She hadn't lost her confidence entirely butit was a bit shaken. She felt the strong, commanding and yet surprisingly gentle presence of Sunvoiath in her mind but the dragon was oddly silent. There was no scolding or commands or strange, confusion of words. Simply love and support and reassurance that Rekkora was perfect. Still, it was one thing to be completely loved by a dragon and another thing entirely to have the affections of a human. In a way they were infinitely more complicated, infinitely impossible to fathom.

[T'ren]

He paused for a moment, his mind blurry and scattered trying to find ways to heal the broken heart of the Abyss rider that sat in front of him. He'd known loss before, at five when a friend of his was killed by ill timed scavenging and thread.  But he was far to young then to really know what grieving was then. S'rico jumped slightly when he noticed he'd startled her, wasn't quite expecting the reaction she had. But it was clear to him that her nerves were shot at this point, he frowned again. When she sat in front of him, his laid the brush in his lap, gently taking her hair in his hands and working larger tangles out by hand. "You were always nice to me." He simply replied, once satisfied with the work he'd done by hand he began gently moving the brush through her hair. When he'd first come to Rainbow Mists and started his new life, she was one of the first people he'd encountered. Regardless of what her intentions were at the time, S'rico enjoyed her company then, and even more enjoyed it now that he'd gotten to know the abyssrider. 

He continued moving the brush through her hair, humming as he went, tangles becoming neat, straight lines. Once the task was finished, he felt accomplished, hoping that this would be a start to helping her feel at least a little better. The bronze-crimson rider sat the brush next to him, and leaned forward a bit to rest his forehead on the back of Rekkora's shoulder.

[Cait]

A faint frown tugged at her lips. She was nice to him, but the only reason she'd even approached him to begin with was because of Aldith. She'd wanted to get charm him, make him like her before any of the other women could. So that she would have a kingrider to dance to her tune. It was how she operated, her need for attention. She wanted to believe that things had changed over the past two years, that they really were friends; that he liked her for herself and not for the girl she'd been in order to entice him.

As the troubling thoughts went round and round in her head, S'rico slowly started picking out the tangles in her hair with his fingers and gradually her mind settled. The tension melted away and Rekkora sighed, this was easily the most relaxed she'd been in days. There was something ultimately soothing about having ones hair brushed by another person, even more so when it was a big handsome man who was doing it. A man who had the strength to hurt but was being impossibly gentle.

When he'd finished brushing and rested his head against her shoulder, she reached up and back, slipping her fingers into his hair she stroked it. "S'rico...what am I supposed to do?"

[T'ren]

S'rico's thoughts wandered during the silence between them. He wondered to himself if he'd ever act this way, or do things like this for anyone else. The man was quite attached to her, and he wasn't sure if he'd ever admit it. Though he may be in denial. He'd told himself he wouldn't get attached, but sure enough, he was too far gone to turn back. He closed his eyes against her shoulder, keeping his hands in his lap trying not to intrude too much on her space. 

Then he felt her hand slipping into his hair, S'rico sighed contently and a smile parted his lips. It faded when she asked her question, and his brow wrinkled as he thought of an appropriate answer. "Well, I suppose you take this, and grow. You become strong. I think that's what death teaches us in life." He bit at his bottom lip as he thought some more, he surely could come up with better advice than that.

"Kumori.." He flinched slightly as he murmered the name, not wanting to further upset Rekkora. "..would want you to be strong, hold your head up high." He continued, trying to search for more words and wondering how the ones he already spoke would fair.

"There is nothing wrong with grieving, but you must take it and use it to grow." He finished, his tone soft and understanding. It would of course take time for the wounds to heal, as they were still quite fresh. He didn't expect her to bounce back to her normal self immediately. Who could? Death was a rough part of life to deal with, a sharding awful thing to deal with. 

[Cait]

Strong. Could she be strong when she felt so weak? When she felt so drained? Her fingers stroked through S'rico's dark hair as she let his words sink in. Death teaches strength? Was it the truth? Did she know anyone who had dealt with death? Then he said it, said her name and Rekkora's chest clenched painfully. Kumori had been strong. She would want her to be strong. To be proud. Her hand fell away from S'rico's hair and into her lap where Rekkora twisted her fingers together. Kumori had died trying to defend herself and maybe even someone else.

"Grow into what? Half the weyr is just waiting for me to turn into some monster from the past and the other half..." The other half saw the vain little idiot she pretended to be. The sweet, simpering tease that had the men dancing to her tune. Tears welled up in her eyes and she swiped at her cheeks as they spilled over.

[smear:111111]You are my rider and you are strong and proud and certain. I would not have chosen anyone but you for you are the only one who is worthy. Never doubt yourself for in doing so, you doubt me.[/smear:d5a514] For once, Sunvoiath was clear and succinct; she did not stumble for words. Rekkora chuckled softly and wiped once more at the dampness on her cheeks as she glanced towards the passage that led out to the ledge.

[T'ren]

A rumble made sound deep in his throat as she ran her fingers through his hair. He felt content at that moment. He knew saying Kumori's name would have a negative effect..he just underestimated how it would turn out. He sat up when her hand fell from his hair, not taking his eyes from her. S'rico wished that he knew what exactly to do, he chewed at his lip as he sat there thinking. 

"Half the Weyr doesn't understand that you won't turn into a monster from the past. You and Sunvoiath will prove that to them. I know you will." He spoke softly, surely. "And I will stand proudly, as I've known all along that you are no monster, and the same goes for Sunvoiath." He nodded his head. S'rico frowned when the womans tears spilled down her face. In that moment he reached for her, to pull her into his lap and comfort her. 

[Cait]

His confidence in her was heartening but Rekkora still couldn't help but wonder. There were times when she wished horrible things would happen to some of the riders and weyrfolk at the weyr. When she wished she could just take all the people who liked her and respected her and run away with them. Sometimes she wished that there was a place where Sunvoiath would reign supreme. Hadn't that been exactly what Renika had done?

Troubled by this thought, Rekkora gasped when S'rico pulled her into his lap. She was stiff at first, uncertain, but then the warmth and closeness called to her and she twisted in his embrace just enough so that she could tuck her head under his chin. Her hand came to rest against his chest, tracing a looping pattern over the material of his tunic as tears trickled silently down her cheeks. She'd finished with the raw agony and had been left with the hollow grief and no idea of how to deal with it.

"I miss her, S'rico. She would tell me what to do. How to act. Why did he have to take her from me?" She really hope that the man's wound festered and poison his blood. Healer's daughter that she was, she knew the knife had pierced or at the very least nicked his lung. The vengeance in her heart wished that she'd had the chance to twist that blade until the man had been laying on the ground in a puddle of his own blood. A life for a life. Did that make her a monster?

[T'ren]

Her gasp wasn't unexpected, and almost made S'rico laugh out loud. A smile lit his face up again and he relaxed his grip on her until she was settled down. He sighed contently as she got comfortable, resting her head under his chin. S'rico gently kissed her ontop of her head, and gently stroked her arm with his fingertips. 

"I know you miss her, dear one." He said softly, much softer than he'd been talking since she was much closer now. He wished he had the answers for her. He wished he could find who'd done this and make them pay..his anger flared a moment and he just knew at that point Aldith's tail was fiercely swishing. He tried to calm himself, in order to calm the bronze-crimson down.

Why anyone would murder someone in cold blood was beyond him. S'rico's brow furrowed in frustration and he hugged Rekkora tighter. "I believe it's just time for you to do things on your own..act how you believe is right." He believed it was all a part of growing up. Whoever brings you up teaches you how to act, and what to do..and eventually..you figure out your own way. He'd help Rekkora find her own way. "You are strong." S'rico said. "You'll be stronger because of this."

[Cait]

Dear one. Rekkora blinked and stared straight ahead as she let that sink in. He'd never...had he ever called her that before? Had anyone called her that before? Sunvoiath perhaps, but never a man. Even her brother hadn't used such endearments. As he held her tighter, she felt the tension in him and snuggled closer, her hand sliding up from his waist to his chest, curling in the material of his tunic. How was she supposed to do this on her own? How was she supposed to suddenly know what was the right way to act? Was playing the part that people wanted her to play the right way? But then which part; monster or maiden? What if she didn't want to be either? What if she wanted to be both?

"What if I don't want to do what's right? What if I don't want to do things on my own?" It was petulant and a bit whiny even to her own ears, but she was tired, overwhelmingly sad and it was all a bit much for her to handle just now. Heaving a shaky sigh, Rekkora sniffled and nestled closer, pressing her face against S'rico's neck.

[T'ren]

In the last few days, S'rico had been more than lost without Rekkora being her normal self. His brow furrowed once more as he thought, a deep eleven forming between his eyes. He swore he wouldn't get attached, and in that moment he was terrified he'd done just that. Or maybe he just really enjoyed her company..

He relaxed as she snuggled closer to him, his mind still racing as he thought and his fingers idly drumming and skating across her back. "Hmmm.." He paused a moment before he figured out what to say. "You don't have to do things alone.." S'rico trailed off, there was more to his thought but he instead sighed softly. Truthfully, he wasn't overly sure what to do, other than to let her grieve and eventually she'd pull out of this and be her normal self. He'd be there for her each step of her way. He smiled softly as she nestled closer to him, and S'rico squeezed her into a hard embrace for a moment before letting her go. "I think you'll find your way. I'll help you find your way."

[Cait]

The feel of his fingers across her back was oddly soothing. Rekkora decided that she liked it, so when it stopped, she frowned and pulled her head back slightly to look up at S'rico. She didn't know when he'd gone from being that grumpy stick in the mud that she would have to tease and cajole until he did as she bid him, to a gentle, insightful, patient man who brushed her hair and held her close. She did know one thing though. She liked it. It was comforting and reassuring and just plain nice; it made her feel safe and pampered and adored and that maybe the world would be right again.

As S'rico pulled her in close again, gave her a tight squeeze, Rekkora's hand shifted and she braced it on the man's shoulder as she pulled herself up enough to kiss him lightly on his prickly cheek before burying her face against the side of his neck. "What would I do without you?" Regardless of what her intentions had been in the beginning, S'rico had turned out to be a fast and steady friend, a solid presence that had somehow subtly become a fixture in her life without her even realizing it. Her stomach gurgled and she blushed. Did her body acquaint his presence in her weyr with food? o.O