Why would you care?
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Eimi, Paula
Date Posted: 28th February 2006
Characters: Birigundi, Rigella
Description: Birigundi catches Rigella on her weak moment.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 10, day 23 of Turn 3
Rigella had found a what she thought as private and secret spot for brooding. She sat on the rock, arms curled around her legs and stared to nothing. Fellis Leaf had fallen asleep on her shoulder.
Birigundi was out for his usual run when a green flash streaked in front of his eyes, skreetching and crying out in warning. "Shards!" he cried as he held up. His own green, Leaf, popped out of nowhere chattering aggitatedly in response. Fellis Leaf continued to protect her own from
the large intruding male who was interrupting her alone time.
Rigella almost fell from her perch out of surprise when Fellis Leaf suddenly went from sleep to full frontal attack. "What? Fellis! Calm down, get back here!" she called the flit.
"Ok Leaf, ok... I don't think it's dangerous," Biri called to his little green coaxing her back to his shoulder. "There we go. Calm down there."
"Fellis, stop being silly, he won't threathen me," Rigella said and coaxed the young green back to her shoulder. "Sorry about it, I think you scared her."
"I scared _her_?" he said, looking at the green warily. With a silent command, he sent Leaf off to flirt with the boys. No sense aggitating her green again. "Just what you doing out here, anyway?"
"Me? I was thinking." Well, that was as good answer as any.
"That's it? Your flit attacked me because I disturbed your thinking?" Birigundi asked with a teasing smile.
"Yes," Rigella anwered seriously. The look in her eyes was dark and sad, she had dark circles around her eyes and her nose was suspiciously red.
She and Birigundi had never been what one would call _friends_ really, but he always hated to see a girl cry. "Is something the matter?"
"Why would you care?" Rigella asked bitterly.
What would it take to get through to this girl??? "Shard it, Rigella! Would you just put down you intense hatred of me for just a few minutes and let me be concerned about you as a person? I am not an evil harted man!"
"Well, if you really want to know. My father is seriously ill and can die. And I'm not even allowed to see him cause he's in quarantine!" Rigella turned around and vented her frustration into an innocent bush, ripping leaves and twigs. What she really wanted to do was pound her fists into his chest and cry against his shoulder.
Shards, what an arse I look like now... "What does he have?"
"Influenza, a really bad one. There's been an epidemy in Maverick's Bend."
"Oh. I hadn't heard." He put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry Rigella. I'm really really sorry. But I'm sure your father will be fine."
That was it, the compassion that broke thru her barriers. She leaned against him and started crying.
He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back soothingly. "It will be all right, Rigella." Despite all his soothing, he still felt it was rather odd that _he_ would be comforting her. She had never liked him, and he had never quite figured out why.
"I'm sorry," Rigella said with a small voice and pulled back. She wiped off her tears. "I'm just so worried about him."
"Well, you love your father," he said, one arm still around her. "I know I would be very worried if I heard my mother was really sick."
"We went to Maverick's Bend, my sister and I. But they didn't even let us dismount her dragon."
"Well, they just didn't want you to get sick too. And you can't bring something like that back to the Weyr. Not if its contaigous. We can't have sick riders. Maybe its not quite as bad as you think?"
"HE'S IN COMA!" Rigella cried with shrill voice bordering on hysteria.
"Ok, ok," Birigundi said pulling her close again. "Shhhhh... It's all right." Shell cracks, but how was he supposed to know!
"I really shouldn't be pouring all this on you. You have nothing to do with it. But my sister is leaning on me and I just can't bear it all sometimes."
"Well, everyone needs someone they can lean on." And surprisingly it seems he was the one she could lean on at the moment. "Don't worry about it."
"Yeah, well, Thank you" Rigella said rather awkwardly.
"Hey, you know, whenever you need to get drunk or cry on a shoulder, I'm your man," he said teasingly. At least, he _hoped_ she would take it teasingly and not blow up at him like she seemed apt to do under usual circumstances.
Rigella just gave him a long, thoughtful look.
Last updated on the February 28th 2006