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Post by Bacchante on Jan 21, 2011 7:39:28 GMT -5
"Bugger that."
B'ach swirled away from the girl whom he had been clutching so tightly and over to where Nwalme was lying. The healer stepped back, bowing before the face of expertise. For his part, the Weyrleader merely knelt and took the arm, removing his glove to gently rub his hand along it. "All those in Skrull are required to have minor knowledge of first aid. The Weyrleader and Weyrwoman are required to surpass all others in all things. I will set this bone."
Healing supplies were quickly produced: Bandages, a stout stick and a foul smelling potion that was ladelled into the patient's mouth. "The healer calls this an-as-theet-ic. It makes you numb. Far better than getting you roaring drunk like we used to, but a bit unpredictable." As he spoke cheerfully people began to whisper and chuckle.
The impression wasn't, however, of people laughing at idiocy. It was more a good-natured laugh at what seemed to be common. After all, all the supplies were on hand within seconds. B'ach confirmed what would undoubtedly become a rising suspicion. "Only one broken! What luck. Normally 'tis ten or twelve. Then again, we got far too many cowards this time. Better a wound... As he said this he forced the broken bone out then back into place.
"Than a badge of shame." The stout stick was varnished to avoid splinters, and now it was pressed against Nwalme's arm and bound tight with bandages. A sling was provided and B'ach surveyed his handiwork. From the watching crowd he selected a female novice. "Meliata. Your result?" The girl curtseyed with a bowed head. "Failure, m'lord. I was not armoured in life, and so I could not leap." Her Weyrleader tut-tutted. "Than you shall serve the courageous. Until her arm is healed, you are to serve Nwalme. You shall sleep in her quarters, and assist her in all things she needs. Nwalme, you will accept this with pride and wear the scars of your wound with even more pride."
Surprisingly, the girl merely curtseyed again with a smile. "It is a greater honour than I have earned, lord, to so serve the courageous." B'ach simply nodded and left, but tapped a guard on the shoulder and whispered something to him.
Riki shall not go with the others for dinner. Send her to my quarters.
The soldier nodded, and then B'ach was gone: Leaving the adults to disperse and the children to gather excitedly around the two new heroes. Neither was from Skrull... Yet both were the only candidates to pass the Test of Courage on their first try since...
Well, since B'ach.
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Post by pandoraMisfit on Jan 22, 2011 22:24:45 GMT -5
As the shock set in, adrenaline pumping an extra flood through her bloodstream, Nwalme could only stand there and look on in vague confusion as medical supplies seemed to appear from nowhere. Rationally she knew that they would have been in ample supply – surely due to the nature of this test, there were usually multiple casualties. More confusing was the fact that B’ach himself insisted on looking at the injury – his words about excelling washed over her head. Meekly she accepted the liquid that was given to her – automatically wishing she hadn’t. Pulling a face and the foul taste, she nearly reeled when the anaesthetic hit her stomach – almost bringing it back up again. Thankfully, she didn’t. Even more thankfully, it had started to kick in, faster than she had imagined it would. She raised a querying eyebrow when she was informed that unpredictability was one of this new concoctions attributes. How much had she been given? Well never mind that now, the feeling of it was more at the forefront of her mind – she felt all strange. A slight tingling started in her extremities before she lost the feeling in them. It was rather unnerving.
Still, the girl was more than grateful for it as the sickening ache of her arm ebbed away. Astounded, she looked at the offending limb with a look of bemusement on her face, the cocktail of endorphins and chemicals in her blood playing a little with her mental acuity. She was glad for that when the weyrleader grabbed the broken bone and shoved it back into place. There wasn’t the sharp jolt of pain she expected, but the girl still let a small cry escape as she watched process. Usually she was extremely passive about this sort of thing, when it came to patients. But seeing it performed on oneself was disconcerting to say the least, and her face took on a vaguely green pallor. Maybe she should have looked the other way.
Dizziness swept over her with alarming speed, such that she swayed a little and had to close her eyes. The room had started spinning. Breathing deep helped. She knew this from her lessons. Forcing her breathing into a steady pattern was harder than it seemed though. In. Out. In. Out. Practicing the rhythm, her ears perked as the man by her side finished binding the splint and summoned another girl. Meliata.
Finally she felt stable enough to open her eyes, and she looked at the girl who was now effectively her servant. Her lips curved into a weak smile of greeting. “Thank you.” Her words were shaky but they conveyed the deep gratitude she felt. A large part of her wanted to rebel and reject the offer of help, but she knew that would make her seem both petulant and ungrateful. After all, she was supposed to accept this with pride. And at any rate, it would be hard to do some things with only one working arm. Actually, that prospect made her flinch inwardly. This girl would have to help her dress amongst other things. If there had been any colour left in her, it would have flared to her cheeks at the prospect.
Pushing the thoughts down, Nwalme noted that B’ach had left the gathering. And it had turned into quite a gathering too. Turning to Riki, a genuine smile lit her face turning into a frown pretty quickly. Her friend looked rather subdued. Lifting her good hand to intertwine with the other girl’s, she gave it a squeeze before letting it drop again. It was enough, she thought, especially since hugging might seem a bit too strange right now. And it would have been awkward to say the least. Her quiet voice somehow cut through the hubbub of congratulations that surrounded them. “We’re alive. It seems like a miracle, but we are.” That revelation was more than she had even hoped for not 5 minutes prior, when both of them had been hurtling towards the ground. “And… thank you.” She faltered, unsure what it was that she wanted to say. “Thank you for today.” Leaving it at that seemed a little weird, but then, she knew if she tried to add anything else, it would come out all garbled.
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Post by Lyrikitty on Jan 27, 2011 19:23:28 GMT -5
B'ach left her side and went to Nwalme. The sounds of everything going on reached Riki's ears, and though she peered up to watch part of it she was unable to watch as B'ach set the bone and Nwalme went green. She averted her eyes and clenched her teeth, waiting until all was done and said before she looked back up. By then, B'ach was gone and people were crowding around the victorious pair. She ignored the crowd as Nwalme clasped her hand and gave it a squeeze, Riki's eyes widening slightly in surprise at the friendly gesture, but she returned the squeeze as Nwalme opened her mouth to... Thank her? Confusion riddled her features as she tilted her head thougthfully, trying to comprehend why she was being thanked. Something in Nwalme's expression told her not to ask, and she listened to the little voice that said no words would explain properly. Accepting this fact, she smiled, eyes moving to look at the people crowding close and chattering excitedly. "Looks like we're the new celbrities of the Weyr... Heh..." Riki didn't like to be the center of attention, and sadly it was starting to look like something she'd need to get used to. One comforting thought came to her, and it made the likely future seem a little less frightening. In fact it made a lot seem better overall. She had a friend. Someone who was going to support her. She looked forward to getting to know the exceptional young woman she'd just met better and to going through the trials of the Weyr at her side. ((Aaaand my muse leaps from a cliff and kills herself. >.>))
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Post by pandoraMisfit on Mar 12, 2011 16:34:21 GMT -5
Just a small smile and she herself was beaming right back at the girl in front of her. Nwalme was like that – smiles directed at her were like an illness, extremely contagious. In fact, it felt nice to be smiling a genuine smile instead of the half-assed ones that usually crossed her face. She smirked back at Riki again before her attention was torn away by her mentor.
The healer had waited patiently whilst the Weyrleader had tended to broken limb, but now bustled over to where her student stood, scowling at a few children who hindered her advance. She gave a cursory glance at the splint though, in her own words, ‘not to undermine the Weyrleader, or to question his skill, but to ensure that it was as comfortable as it could be.’ Fussing over the girl like a mother wherry, she double checked that Nwalme was not feeling faint, worried that perhaps she should go rest and scolded that taking a risk like that was idiotic. And then she smiled broadly at the girl and gave her a hug. “Just be more careful with yourself next time” She said before releasing her. Nwalme nodded mutely, a blush sweeping across her pale skin like wildfire. She wasn’t exactly used to such public displays of affection anymore. The healer fussed for a little while longer before making her departure.
Overall, it was a strange experience to say the least. Almost surreal. But never mind that, she had best get used to people wanting to know how she was.
Nwalme grimaced at the word ‘celebrity’ but it was in jest. Popularity had never really been her thing. Wait – that was a lie. It was hard not to let out an ironic smile, for once she had been the popular girl. It had only been recently that she had become more withdrawn from the world. Still, it did indeed look like all that was going to change. Doing her best to smile nicely at all the people congratulating her was a lot easier than she had expected. Maybe it was the anaesthetic? A few people had jostled her arm unwittingly, but she had felt nothing more than a funny almost-sensation; no pain. Proof indeed that the substance was still in effect and something she would most likely be grateful for whilst in a crowd situation.
Yawning involuntarily, the girl raised her other arm to cover her mouth. And it probably wasn’t that far away from midday! Grinning sheepishly at everyone around her, she smothered another yawn. Now that the adrenaline was leaving her body, she was beginning to feel a bit sleepy. Well that combined with a lack of sleep the night prior.
And then her stomach rumbled, deepening her embarrassment.
Yes, it was definitely around the lunch time mark or past it, in spite of the fact that the last few hours had seemed like mere minutes. Thanking a few more people for their comments of ‘well done’ and ‘go you!’, she noticed that finally, the crowd had eased off a bit. Definitely time to get some food then. Motioning for Riki’s attention, she let the other girl know that she was going to the kitchens to grab a bite to eat. “Would you care to join me?” She asked. It was a first for her here at Skrull. Everyone knew that she always ate alone. Still, she quite fancied the company – it would be nice to have someone to talk to for a change. And it would also mean that Meliata’s presence wouldn’t be quite so unnerving. It would be a very odd feeling having someone with you almost 24/7. Still, it couldn’t be helped now.
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