Healing Broken Friendships

Writers: Chelle, Cymiri
Date Posted: 14th April 2015

Characters: Daimhin, Chupsin
Description: Daimhin tries to fix his broken friendship with Chupsin.
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 12, day 28 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: Stennar, Corran, Benani, Genna

Daimhin shifted awkwardly before raising a hand to knock at the door. He
didn't like doing this. He was too stiff and proud to ever admit fault-
especially when he hadn't been sharding wrong to start with- but some
things were worth more than pride. Like friendship. Whether they could fix
what had got broken was a good question, but he'd at least like to say he
tried.

Sitting in his chair, Chupsin was once again going over the charts. Every
now and again he had a case that confused him and this was one of those.
Grunting, he made notes and decided to do a few things to see if maybe it
was a problem with an organ.

>From anyone else, he'd take the way the assent was delivered as insulting,
but he knew his man. He pushed open the door and entered without comment.
Unsure of what else to say, he stuck with the blinding obvious as greeting.
"Chupsin?"

The healer looked up to see who had knocked when he came to the end of his
notes. Seeing Daimhin there, he put his stylus down and tilted his head.
Tourniquet shifted in his lap to bring his head up above the desktop and
looked at Daimhin too before going back to his nap. "Good eve Daimhin. What
can I do for you?"

A small smile twitched at his lips at the little firelizard's sudden
appearance. Cute things. "I bring drink and the urge to test it? Would you
care to help me?"

Knowing he was a sucker for alcohol, Chupsin wasn't about to refuse the
offer. He wondered, though, why Daimhin was here, now. He supposed the man
would get around to it eventually. "As long as it isn't swill, sure."
Shuffling the piles on his desk toward a drawer, he cleared it easily.

"I do not, sir, ever provided those I care for with 'swill'. I reserve that
for the folks in the holding cells. It's been a long time, Chupsin."

"Aye it has though I am not sure why." Indeed, he had never severed the
contact himself. Instead he had noticed that Daimhin had stopped coming.
He'd been busy and thought it might be due to Karhal's convalescence as
well as all those other events going on keeping the guards busy. Opening
another drawer, he produced two glasses but would let Daimhin pour since it
was his offering.

Daimhin raised a cynical eyebrow at the statement, but resisted the urge to
remind the healer of exactly why. It would be cruel to bring up the
memories of his wife. He simply poured instead, with a small flourish.
"It's been busy, and you've been kept on your toes too. But I thought it
was time we broke that habit."

"Sit. Give me the news." It was a time honored tradition-the news sharing
between them. Chupsin took a small drink first, swilling it around his
mouth. Then he took a longer one and put the glass down for the time being.
His eyes were bright as he sized Daimhin up and mentally evaluated him,
noting the changes in his physicality.

"Corran is getting himself a firelizard. Weyr connections can be a plus, I
suppose. I don't like one of your colleagues- but that's not news. Nothing
much else. After what's happened, I'm glad it's so quiet."

"Hmm..hopefully he knows how to train the creature. Otherwise they are
useless." He sent a mental thought to Tourniquet to tell him how smart he
was, which elicited a happy trill from the bronze. Said firelizard hopped
off his lap to land in his perch-bed where a bit of meatroll was waiting.
"Which colleague is that?" Chupsin was glad it was quiet too. Definitely
too much had happened lately. And he'd worked hard to get Benani back to a
somewhat normal disposition.

"Stennar. The man just aggravates me by breathing. It's a guard thing.
Fortunately, not one we're ever allowed to act on!" He smiled again at the
little firelizard. "Firelizards are, on the whole, a nuisance. Yours is an
exception. I believe the Lady is doing better?" Apparently great minds were
thinking alike.

"Mmm Benani is out of the woods I think and the baby is doing well." He was
glad of that for certain. A brow lifted and Chupsin's trademark quizzical
look came out. "What has he done to get on your bad side?" The journeyman
seemed competent though Chupsin didn't have high hopes for him.

"He's done nothing to me. But he seems snippy and full of himself, and I've
never liked the type. Particularly not young and attached to someone with
big dreams and plans. He needs to relax a little, I think."

"Odd. He's never been that way with me." Then again most knew better that
that would not be tolerated. The healer emptied the glass and poured it
half full. "I'm going to have to put him in charge when I go see Genna
graduate from her weyrling training." It wasn't a huge ceremony or anything
but he knew it would mean something to his niece and he'd like to be there
anyhow. It'd been some time since he'd seen her.

Daimhin, echoing Chupsin's own thoughts, replied, "The people around here
know better then to mess with you, dear man." If he flinched when Genna's
name came up, he managed to disguise it well. "I'm sure the infirmary will
appreciate the break." That was said with a little tease. "Though I'll try
and not put to many people in it till you return."

"Mm see that you do that. Although if I'm wrong, the change in weather will
probably bring more in soon anyway. I'm just hoping they can manage while I
go." He sighed but realized it wouldn't be a long trip so there would be
nothing really to worry over. "How is our good captain then?"

"Karhal's fine. He and Loella are expecting." Well, it's now or never. "And
you, Chupsin? DO you feel as good as you look?"

The healer already knew that of course. That didn't mean everything was
fine exactly. He remembered his earlier talks with Loella. Hopefully,
though, she could work things out with her husband despite what had
happened. Pulling his head up, he looked Daimhin square in the eye. "I
suppose I'm back to how I was before. Nothing more, nothing less. The
possibility of more is gone and I've accepted that."

Daimhin met his eyes cooly. Empathy showed, as did something else- a deep
sadness few got to see. " You aren't alone, Chupsin, in that acceptance.
Life is little but awful, sometimes. If you need anything, however.... I am
here."

He didn't think there was much the guard could do for him in the end. At
least Keayd provided him alcohol to divert his attention. Still, it would
leave him someone to talk to late at night when he was left on duty. He
supposed that was enough in itself at times.

Daihmin gifted him a wavering smile. At least this was something.

Last updated on the April 19th 2015

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Healing Broken Friendships