Minor Accidents

Writers: Avery, Leigh M-F.
Date Posted: 10th July 2016

Characters: A'vel, L'exan
Description: They have a conversation while waiting to see the Healers.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 6, day 3 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: L'pin.

A'vel had thought he was getting good at the firestone sack training. They were heavy and throwing them was hard, but it was important work. And then one had flown towards him and he hadn't reacted in time. It had struck him in the arm with a loud crack. Hot tears sprung to his eyes and he clutched the offended limb to him. After a quick look, L'pin had sent him off to the Infirmary, with one of the other weyrlings detached to accompany him there.

Every step had been agony, but finally he'd made it there. His fellow
greenrider held the door and waited till he got inside and sat down
before heading back to class. A'vel was just so happy to be sitting
again that he didn't notice anyone else in the waiting chairs.

L'exan was grumbling about as much as Demos. It wasn't because Thread had fallen a couple of days ago. For Threadfall, it had gone remarkably well. No, it was because his left shoulder had been hurt, and he had to see a healer, which annoyed him. He hadn't needed to see healers often ever since he had gotten sober. But it needed doing, so he had been waiting for an apprentice to escort him to an examination room when a familiar face arrived. "Hey, I know ya," he said to A'vel.

"My duty to you, bluerider. How's..." He froze, blanking for a second.

}:Larzeth,:{ said Tsogath, who had been very present in his mind, very worried.

"How's Larzeth doing? Was he hurt?"

"Nah, the big lug's fine. I'm the one in trouble this time," L'exan said easily, sitting next to the weyrling. "A senior weyrling delivering firestone tossed me a really big bag, and it wrenched my shoulder. I just didn't notice how bad it was until well after the adrenaline wore off. As in this morning," he chuckled. "'Least it's an easy fix. What broughtcha here- uh, sorry, I didn't get your new name when you Impressed that pretty girl of yours."

It was easier to answer the second question first. "A'vel. Much better than Favelance, that's for sure." His old name sounded foreign in his mouth when he spoke it, even though he'd worn it for most of his Turns. It felt like a stray word uttered by someone else to refer to some_one_ else. A'vel sounded much more proper and right.

"Easy fix, you say? What are they going to do?" A'vel asked curiously.

"Numbweed, willow salic, maybe a stretch or rubdown too," L'exan said with a one-shouldered shrug. "No problem. I'm guessing you might have a harder time of it, judging by how unhappy ya look. What happened? Exercise go wrong?"

"Oh, that doesn't sound awful," the weyrling said.

He nodded at the next question. "Someone threw a firestone sack and it hit me in the arm. I don't think it's broken but - " He hissed as he reached up to palpate it.

"Whoa, hey, hold still," L'exan cautioned, touching A'vel's knee to get his attention. "Even if ya don't think it's broken, it's best to try not aggravating it." He looked around to see if there were any apprentices or journeymen he could flag down yet. Maybe he was overreacting, but A'vel seemed to be in genuine pain, and he remembered just how heavy the sacks used in training could get.

"I guess it's a good thing I'm not being expected to play right now," A'vel joked. "This would make pipes hard. Or Faranth forbid, the drums."

L'exam snorted in appreciation of the joke just as a particularly frazzled-looking apprentice came in. "I'm so sorry for the wait, both of you," she apologized, trying to smooth her bangs. "Who needs to be seen first?"

"This guy," L'exan said immediately, nodding to the weyrling, and gave A'vel a look that asked him if he wanted some moral support in the examination room.

A'vel blushed when the Healer looked at him. "I'm sorry. It was a training accident..." He shot a glance at L'exan, willing to take that offer of support.

The bluerider got up and followed apprentice and weyrling to an examination room, where a journeyman, looking almost as frazzled, was washing his hands. "I'm sorry about the wait," he echoed. "What's the problem?"

L'exan motioned to the greenrider. "Weyrling A'vel took a sack to the arm in training," he said, which was probably all the info the healer needed.

"Here, sit down and let me have a look," the healer said, motioning to
the examination table.

A'vel settled down and used his good hand to indicate the area. "It hit here, right by the elbow," he said.

L'exan shook his head sympathetically and hoped it wasn't the kid's dominant arm. The healer gently laid his hands on the limb and started palpating.

A'vel hissed at the touch as the healer rolled up his sleeves and started touching it, looking over to see his arm. Sure enough, a bruise was already starting to purple up, and the touch of the hands was awful.

"Nothing's obviously broken, but it seems like it was a narrow escape. A few inches lower and it might have cracked the bone at the end of the elbow," the journeyman said after his inspection.

"There's going to be bruising for at least a sevenday. I'm going to give you a note for your Weyrlingmaster to not give you physical duties today, and light duty that won't stress the arm for the rest of the sevenday and you'll see me on the restday."

A'vel looked horrified. "Won't that put me behind?"

"Not in your academics, and I'm sure you can catch up on the physical aspects with additional work instead of chores next sevenday. With a hit like that, it's possible there was a hairline break, so we want to be cautious and let it heal," the man explained.

"Okay," he said. "Thank you, Healer."

L'exan patted A'vel's opposing shoulder. "You'll be okay. A good wrap to help the bone, plenty of rest, everything'll heal fine," he said confidently. "Mind if I step out?"

The apprentice gave him a startled look, as if she had forgotten him. "Oh, right, you need help too?"

"Nothing much. I just strained my shoulder in Threadfall with a firestone sack, incidentally."

"And you only just came in today?" the journeyman rebuked.

L'exan shrugged. "I didn't realize how bad the strain was until now."

The healer rolled his eyes. "Dragonriders," he muttered. "All right, someone should be able to see you in the next room over."

"Thanks." L'exan nodded to A'vel. "Hang in there, got it?"

"I will," the weyrling greenrider said. "Er, would you like to catch dinner later, maybe? Since it sounds like I won't have chore duty?"

The blurider almost asked if the weyrling was asking him on a date. He didn't because if anyone heard he said it -namely Ashuli or Neia- they would smack him for being so crass. "Sure thing. Seven o'clock?" he said instead.

"Sounds good," A'vel said, unaware of L'exan's thoughts.

"Right then. See you tonight." L'exan tossed him a cheeky salute and followed the apprentice out.

Last updated on the July 18th 2016

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Minor Accidents