Can't Fight The World

Writers: Heather, Miriah
Date Posted: 12th March 2015

Characters: Saidrene, J'ackt
Description: Saidrene comes to check on J'ackt after the fight
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 11, day 1 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: N'vanik, Cyradis, Sh'del

Saidrene

J'ackt

Fter the talk with N'vanik, Cyradis and Sh'del, J'ackt sat in the
infirmary staring at the wrapping around his fist. A few bones broken,
according to the healer; well, he already knew that. His knuckles
already had scars from before the Weyr. The stitches along his side
pulled; the effing guard had definitely tagged him and it would leave
a lasting scar on his side.

His nerves still coiled with tension as the privacy curtain opened and
he jerked his head up, muscles tightening further.

Saidrene peered through the curtain, "J'ackt." She spoke his name
softly as stepped through the curtained partition. Her eyes
immediately went to the angry skin around the long row of stitches on
his side. She had worriedly waited outside the infirmary until he had left the
Weyrleaders and Weyrlingmaster that had taken awhile.

J'ackt stared at her for a moment, his jaw working from side to side
as he visually checked her for any bruises or injury. Finding none,
his brow snapped down and he shot to his feet. "You little....idiot!
What in the cold fecking waste of /between/ possessed you to get in
the way like that? You could have been hurt! You have no idea what he
could have done! Faranth, Saidrene, you could have been killed!" He
didn't even take a moment to let her get a word in edgewise and
continued on his tirade, point his finger at her. "Don't you ever, and
I mean _ever_ do something that absolutely stupid again! I know how to
take care of myself and you were a fecking distraction that could have
gotten us both killed. Damn and shaffit all, Saidrene, do you think I
wanted you hurt even for a second? That I could have watched that and
not gone absolutely crazy?"

He grabbed her face in his hands, his bandaged one barely moving.
"Don't you dare ever risk yourself for me again, do you understand me?
Feck!" He grabbed her and brought her flush against him, his arms
shaking as he embraced her. "You stupid, reckless..." He kissed the
top of her head and exhaled.

Saidrene remained silent during his tirade, knowing that all of what
he said was true. Her eyes slid shut when his arms went around her,
and she leaned forward into his embrace, tears pressing against her
eyes. "I'm sorry," she said gently, slipping her arms around his waist
low enough so that she didn't touch his wound. "I just panicked when I
saw him with that knife and there you were... I just..." Her throat
constricted. "I can't bare the thought of anything happening to you
either, J'ackt." Despite all that had happened between them, and all
of the hatred she'd had for him at one point in time, inevitably she
still cared for him.

"Don't." He spoke softly and then slowly pulled away. "Saidrene,
there's a lot you don't know. My Da, he was one cold vicious bastard,
but he taught me to fight." He ran his good hand through his hair in a
familiar gesture of stress as he sat back on the cot. "He taught me to
kill if I had to. He taught me a bit too well and I was Holdless for
as long as I could remember. There a lot of things that I had to do
that most people wouldn't want to. But I know how to protect myself."
He looked down at his wound and grimaced. "Been busted up worse than
this and by my Da, too." He rubbed his face, then looked up at her.
"I'd rather take this cut than see you or any other woman take it,
clear?"

The greenrider took a seat beside of him on the cot and laid her hand
on his knee, "I understand, J'ackt, but you've got to realize that
sometimes you put yourself at risk for no reason. He goaded you and
made you mad, and yeah, he was a real piece of trash, but even though
it would have hurt your pride, you could have walked away. What if
this cut had gone deeper? What if his aim had been better? Your're going
to meet a lot of people like him over the course of your life,
eventually you'll have to realize that you can't fight the world."
Saidrene had never tried to change who J'ackt was, or force him to fit
into a certain mold, but she did worry that if he didn't learn to curb
his temper that one day it would catch up to him. **You're not
invincible.** She thought.

Saidrene shook her head, sending her hair spilling over her shoulder,
"I'm sorry, I didn't come to lecture you, I'm sure the Weyrleaders and
Sh'del did that a plenty. I just have a hard time not worrying about
you."

"I've ran away lots of times, or at least tried to. Kinda sick of
doing that. Besides, he wasn't gonna let up." J'ackt grimaced. "He was
pissy too." His grimace shifted to a glower. "Should have killed him."

"So how much trouble are you in?" Saidrene asked, wondering what kind
of punishment would be in store for the senior Weyrling.

"A lot. Something about the fecking holders throwing a fit that I beat
their poor little guard." He snorted. "And not thinking before I act.
And, I'm going to be digging trenches."

"What about graduation?" She asked since she knew from her mother that
postponing graduation was sometimes used as a severe punishment for
dire situations.

His glower deepened. "Depends on if I get the trenches dug in time."

Saidrene winced at that, "Are you going back to the barracks tonight?"

He nodded. "Think so." He scrubbed his good hand over his face, then
winced at the swelling on his jaw. "Shards, the Wingleader clocked me
a good one." He rubbed at his eyes. "And Zith..." He cursed softly.
"He's going between wanting to eat the guard and repeatedly telling me
off. I'm just getting it from all sides right now."

A part of Saidrene wanted to comfort J'ackt, but deep down she felt
that he truly deserved what he was getting. He had to learn how to act
like a dragonrider. His actions had tarnished the reputation of all
Dolphin's Cove dragonriders. The tale of what had happened to the
guard, whether just or not, would spread into vicious rumors and lies
outside of the Weyr. And since Saidrene hoped to be a Searchrider some
day, it would be her and Ashareth who faced the open criticisms and
distrust from the Holds' people.

"I had better go," she sighed, "it'll be lights out soon." They were
getting their weyrs from the Headwoman later that sevenday, and for
Saidrene it couldn't be a moment sooner.

He nodded. "Alright." He looked up at her. "I'll see you later I guess."

Saidrene made to leave but paused, turning around she reached out and
gently pushed J'ackt's bangs away from his eyes, "I'm glad you are
okay."

He looked up at her and his grin was crooked, but humor didn't quite
meet his eyes. "Thanks for coming, Saidrene."

Last updated on the May 9th 2015

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Can't Fight The World