Reassurance

Writers: Ames
Date Posted: 24th February 2011

Characters: Cardella, O'ryn
Description: O'ryn reassures Cardella that things do get easier
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 13, day 19 of Turn 5
Notes: Mentioned E'naer, G'wen, J'nev

Cardella

O'ryn was down by the weyrling barracks, looking for E'naer when he
spotted Cardella. While he wasn't necessarily the most outgoing
person, he didn't like seeing anyone upset, and she looked...
thoughtful, at best. Sidling over to where she was sitting on a ledge
outside the barracks, he sat next to her, "I'm not used to seeing you
looking so serious. Everything okay?"

"Hi O'ryn," Cardella replied, looking towards him as he approached.
"I'm alright, I guess." She knew it wasn't all that convincing of a
reply, but she'd had a rough couple of days, between the whole blow-up
with J'nev and then Awenth not feeling well in class. "How are you?"
She asked, not sure how much she wanted to talk about herself at the
moment. She and O'ryn had gotten to know each other during their time
in the weyrling barracks, even though they weren't in classes together
as he was a senior weyrling.

"Tired," he replied. "I'm not used to having all this quiet, with a
weyr to myself now. And 'you guess?' Why don't I believe that?" The
greenrider leaned back against the wall behind them and pulled a foot
up to sit more comfortably.

She sighed, "Awenth wasn't feeling well, and I was worried." Cardella
glanced around, noting that the space they rested was empty of all but
them. "And I had some words with J'nev recently. He's not the person I
thought he was." She hadn't meant to dump all her thoughts on O'ryn,
but somehow they just came rushing out. "Sometimes I wish I had a weyr
of my own so I could go there _just_ to be alone."

O'ryn nodded understandingly, his dark hair brushing his eyes. He needed a
trim, he thought idly, considering her words. "I've heard a lot about J'nev,
not
all of it necessarily good. He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Cardella thought on that question. Had he hurt her? She felt hurt, but
it wasn't what _he_ did, more what she had allowed to happen and what
her silly little daydreams had hoped might happen. Why she honestly
thought people in a Weyr could fall in love, she didn't know, but she
sure felt foolish about it all.

"Not really. I mean, I think I expected things that I now realize I
shouldn't have. I let myself become enthralled with him, so I'm to
blame for the fact that I feel this way now." She sighed a bit.
"Enough about me. Tell me how things are for you. What kind of things
do you and Lyriath get to do now that you're no longer living in the
barracks with the rest of us?"

He reached over to pat her arm. "I think we're all destined to get our
hearts broken at least once over someone we should've known better
than to trust. It's a lesson learned." O'ryn smiled a bit at her
question about his own activities. "Nothing's really changed, other
than where we sleep. We still have classes and drills and chores."

"Yes, a lesson learned," she replied, knowing that what he spoke was
true. "When will you get assigned to a fighting wing?" Cardella was
curious as she knew O'ryn was further along in his training than she
was and she only had a vague idea of how long things would take.

The weyrling made a face, "Not for a couple more months. I'll be happy
to graduate, but at the same time... I hope we're ready to face a real
'Fall." He glanced out to where his green was sprawled on the beach,
her yellow-green hide easy to spot, even in a crowd. "I don't know
about yours, but Lyriath thinks she can take on the world and never
get hurt."

Cardella smiled at that. "Awenth thinks she should be allowed to fly
_now_." She emphasized the last word just as her green dragon so often
did. "She's strong willed, though G'wen's Neath thinks she's as
important as a queen. He's having a time with her!" Cardella was glad
though that Neath and Awenth seemed to have gotten over their own
little power struggle and were now treating each other much the way
siblings should.

"I've no desire to fly during a Fall, though I know it's my duty. I
saw the Falls often enough inside the Holds and Halls, I can't imagine
being out in them, trying to stop them. It scares me quite a bit,
actually."

"You'd be stupid not to be scared, and I know you're not stupid - or
reckless, for that matter. As long as you're scared, you'll be more
careful to not get yourself hurt. I got stuck helping the Healers
during the last one, and let me tell you, you think the scars are bad?
Fresh threadscores are not a pretty sight." O'ryn shuddered,
remembering the sights and sounds and smells he'd experienced in the
infirmary.

She really hadn't had much time to see the riders after a Fall, and
truth be told she wasn't sure she'd want to. Cardella knew what her
duty was, but she was afraid she'd wouldn't be able to handle it after
all. New things had always been difficult for her, though she'd
adjusted to life in the Weyr readily enough. **Perhaps too readily
enough,** she thought glumly of J'nev once again.

"I don't envy you that task at all," she told O'ryn. "I've been so
busy with Awenth I hardly notice the people around me, and before that
I spent most of my time in the kitchens and far from the infirmary."
The thought of the injuries and blood made her stomach turn.

He nodded, "It gets better. As she grows you won't have to do so much
for her on a daily basis and you won't be so tired, I promise. Lyri's
down to eating every other day, thank goodness." The greenrider's eyes
caught on an attractive brownrider bathing his dragon and paused for a
moment to admire. "I was a beastcrafter before I came here, and I'd
rather have been working with the dragonhealers. I can deal with
animals - even dragons, though they're far more intelligent - much
better than humans."

After a moment he added, "Have you been able to spend _any_ time in
the kitchens lately?" O'ryn had made it a habit to wander down by the
beastpens when he was upset or stressed - being around the animals
relaxed him.

Cardella shook her head. "You'd think I wouldn't miss it, but I do. I
loved baking. Sometimes I wish they would have let us apprentice at
the Hall. Then again, I might not have chosen to come here had they
allowed that, and I couldn't imagine my life without Awenth now." She
looked over to where her green dragon was happily playing with a few
of the other young dragons.

"I would _love_ to have time to bake again, but right now it seems all
I do is eat, sleep, bathe and oil Awenth, go to class and do the
necessary chores. I'm so exhausted at night, I can't even hold a clear
thought in my head when I do finally fall asleep."

O'ryn chuckled, "My first month or so with Lyriath is a blur when I
think back on it, but I don't regret a minute of it. It really does
get easier. Your body adjusts to the physical work after awhile so it
won't wear you out nearly as much. In the meantime, it's a bit of a
climb, but you're welcome to borrow my weyr if you want a candlemark's
peace and quiet. I've been hanging with friends down in the dining
cavern so it's usually empty for awhile in the evenings."

"Thanks, O'ryn," Cardella smiled, "I just might take you up on that
offer sometime!" She glanced up and noticed Awenth coming her way
after her play.

}:I'm hungry:{ **Alright love, we'll go get you something juicy to eat.**

"Looks like I've got some feeding and oiling to do again. I swear she
grows everytime I look away from her." She chuckled as Awenth come up
to the pair and butted her head into Cardella's hand and swished her
tail playfully beside O'ryn.

"That's alright, I should be heading in anyway. I need to talk to
E'naer about something anyway." The older weyrling got to his feet and
gave Awenth a scratch as he moved toward the entrance to the barracks,
"See you later, Cardella."

Last updated on the March 21st 2012

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Reassurance