Future Healing

Writers: Kaysea, Stasha
Date Posted: 25th March 2008

Characters: J'gen, Ch'lis
Description: J'gen makes an offer that Ch'lis cannot refuse
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 8, day 28 of Turn 4

"I hear you were in training at the Beastcraft Hall." J'gen said, coming up behind the young weyrling in the dining cavern. "If you don't have anything important to do during the next candlemark, I'd like to ask you a few questions?" he slid his plate along the servery, selecting various meats and tubers from the steaming trays, his eyes glancing back towards the strapping you man who had lately Impressed.

The bronzerider startled the weyrling, jolting his hand as the soup touched his lips. Ch'lis dribbled his tuber soup down his chin, but quickly patted his face clean as J'gen joined him. "Uh, okay," the bluerider replied as he set the spoon back into his bowl and gave ear to J'gen's words.

"Follow me." J'gen nodded towards a quiet corner of the cavern. Hooking his foot beneath the chair, he pulled it away from the table, and indicated for the younger man to take a seat. "You're settling into Weyrlinghood?" he asked, pulling out another seat for himself. As he sat down he glanced across the cavern and saw his daughter sitting quietly at the table with her fostermother, Zeign had padded across when they first entered and taken a seat beneath the child's table. He returned his attention to the weyrling before him.

"Yeah, I've been doing pretty well," he nodded before he took another mouthful of the soup. He listened carefully to the dragonhealer, and in the back of his mind he knew where the conversation was going.

"So, have you considered what you'll do once you're in the wings and have more time to yourself?"

Besides the obvious? "Well, I was in the beast craft hall..." but it seemed pointless to continue on training there. After all, he had a dragon to speak of now, which made runnerbeasts and ovines seem so pointless now.

}:Why would you want to play with my food anyway?:{ Omath remarked in his own bemused tone.

Ch'lis chucked at his dragon. "But Omath reminded me with his dragonish logic that working with _his_ food is ridiculous." And it really was.

"How would you feel about dragonhealing as an option?" J'gen asked casually, not looking at the weyrling as he took a bit of the tuber on his fork. "We could always use more, especially during Thread." he continued, his voice deepening ominously on the last word.

"Wait? What?" Ch'lis felt he did not hear the bronzerider properly.
Did he say dragonhealing?

}:I think he did:{ Omath added, confirming the suspicion.

"Dragonhealing? We could always use more, and your basic beastcrafting indicates a basic understanding of healing, which would help to begin with." J'gen finally met the younger man's eyes. "Consider it; you may find you'll need something _more_ once you have graduated to the wings."

It was not the first time Ch'lis had pondered over his future, playing with the pons of possibility. Growing up holdbred, the first thing he ever thought of when it came to dragonriders was thread. Never one without the other. There was a certain prestige that came with being a dragonrider, yet it came with a price, the responsibility of fighting thread. When Ch'lis finally came to the weyr as the mere Chemalis, he always thought that if he Impressed his sole responsibility would be to become a soldier and fight the enemy. But dragonhealing? Well, he had to admit he would need something more than fighting to get him through the pass. "What's involved in dragonhealing?" he questioned, as he began to analyze the idea.

"Training, training and more training, and a sharp eye. A dragon can die for lack of water, for a small nick in the wrong place - they're mammoth beasts, but fragile all the same." J'gen said solemnly. "But you'd start your training as soon as you graduated to the wings, and -
well, we could use your help during Fall, when you're more able, providing you get permission from the Weyrlingmaster."

It was an intriguing proposition. "So what about when I become a wingrider?" the weyrling inquired as he took a small spoon of soup.
"Would I ever fight thread or would I treat injured dragons?"

"You would fight Thread for as long as Omath is able each Fall, then once you have been relieved or Fall has finished, you would immediately return to the Infirmary - unless there was a particularly heavy Fall and you may be called back early." It was more convenient when the riders were of blues or greens, the changeover during Fall enabled them to help more frequently during a Fall than the larger colours.

The prospect of the new career was enough to strangle Ch'lis with excitement. His hazel eyes diverted to the unseen thought of him tending to a thread scored dragon as Omath soothed the injured beast.
It was a little of both worlds, which only appealed even more to the blue rider. It was a niche that he found could easily suite him, and perhaps even challenge him.

}:Can I help?:{ Omath interrupted his train of thought.

Ch'lis only laughed back at the dragon's interested. **Of course you can** And that is when he realized he had made up his mind. He could not resist the offer as he leaned in to the bronzerider with a content grin spread across his face. "You've got me _and_ Omath. Where do we sign up?"

"I was hoping you'd agree. No need to sign up anywhere though, we'll go and see the Weyrlingmaster once we've finished lunch, and we'll work out how to fit in some help in the infirmary with your other training. Just enough for you to feel your way around, to begin with." J'gen was pleased with the outcome, the more help the received in the dragon infirmary the better these days.

Last updated on the March 29th 2008

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Future Healing