Do Something Else (1/2)

Writers: Anaria, JR
Date Posted: 27th March 2011

Characters: J'klin, Roana
Description: Roana asks for J'klin's opinion on switching wings while he takes care of her
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 1, day 16 of Turn 6
Notes: Mentioned: Rhosyn

Roana tugged a blanket up over her head, only the top of her mop of tousled
curls showing dark against her pillow. Curled into the fetal position with a
pillow cradled in her arms and against her body, the greenrider's back ached
so fiercely that she just couldn't bring herself to move. She really should
get up - she had a healer's tea meant for the cramps and aches that came
with her monthlies, but Faranth... Trying to turn over brought tears to her
eyes and she slumped limply back into the softness of her bed.

**Nimyth, where's your cuddle buddy?** J'klin asked, somewhat concerned.
Roana's drills should have been over by now, and generally once she'd
cleaned up she and Phiralith headed straight over.

Nimyth checked in with the green dragon, before reporting back, }:Phiralith
says that hers is in pain. She doesn't want to leave her bed.:{

J'klin frowned. He hadn't heard of any injuries at drills, but perhaps Roana
had thrown out her back tossing firestone or something of the like. He
quickly grabbed the salve that he kept on hand for such injuries, then
mounted Nimyth quickly and the pair headed off to Roana's weyr.

"Roana..." J'klin called out from the ledge, not wanting to startle her.
"Can I come in? Are you alright?"

There was no way she was pulling the pillow and covers back far enough to
answer him, so she relayed the message through Phiralith, that J'klin could
come in and she was in the bedroom.

"Ah, alright, thanks Phiralith," J'klin said, patting the green dragon
affectionately on the flank as Nimyth conveyed the message. "Don't worry, I'll
take good care of her."

J'klin entered the sleeping room, blinking a few times to adjust to the
dimmer light there before sitting on the bed at Roana's side. "What's wrong,
sweetheart?" he asked, stroking her hair comfortingly.

Her hazel eyes peered up at him, shining with tears. "What's not wrong?
Faranth..." Roana's voice trailed off into a whimper. "There's a packet of
healer's tea in the red bag in the cabinet. Can you make some of it?
Please?"

"Of course!" J'klin exclaimed, before hurrying to gather the supplies that
he'd need. There was something about Roana's tears that made him ache
inside. He hated seeing her in pain. He still was uncertain what was wrong
with her, but didn't want to waste time talking about it until his task was
completed. Fortunately, there was a note with the tea detailing how to
prepare it properly, and he returned quickly with the requested cup. "Here
you go," he said gently sitting the tea on the table next to her bedside.
"Be careful, it's still hot."

She nodded, biting her lip and forcing her body up into a sitting position.
One arm stayed wrapped around her middle while the other reached for the
mug. Ignoring the heat, she gulped the liquid down. "Ugh, I forgot how awful
that stuff tastes," she said with a grimace, "But it's the best thing for
this. I hate being female, sometimes."

"Why do you hate being..." J'klin started. "Ooooh. _That's_ why you don't
feel well." He finished, once he had a second to think things through. He
ran his fingers through Roana's hair affectionately while she drank her tea.
"Is there anything else that I can do that will help?"

"Yes, 'ooooh', silly man," Roana couldn't help but chuckle at him as she
leaned against him. "And that depends how much you're going to let me impose
on our friendship, because a backrub would be wonderful right now."

"Oh, that's no problem at all," J'klin said sympathetically. "Can you roll
over on your stomach or would that hurt too much?" He asked, rolling up the
sleeves of his tunic.

Roana thought about it for a moment and nodded, "I can. It doesn't seem to
matter which way I sit or lay down, it's not comfortable." She shifted
herself back down, slowly settling onto her stomach and pulling a pillow
into her arms to rest her head on.

J'klin maneuvered so that he was straddling Roana's body, balancing his
weight on the balls of his feet so as not to be outrightly sitting on her.
He began at her lower back, rubbing expertly at the tight muscles there,
smiling at the feel of her smooth skin against his hands. "Is that good?" he
asked.

She couldn't help the groan that escaped. It hurt, but it felt good too,
between the warmth of his hands, the hotter heat of friction, and the
release of tensed muscle. "Faranth, I can't believe I made it through drills
feeling like this," Roana sighed. "That tea had better kick in soon."

"You made it through drills because you're a strong woman," J'klin
responded. "And I do hope that the tea kicks in soon. Is there anything they
can do for you if it doesn't work? Does fellis or numbweed help any?"

"Numbweed won't do anything for it. Fellis does, but only because it knocks
me out. I'd rather not be insensible for the rest of the day." Roana
whimpered when he hit a particularly sensitive spot, oddly pleased that he
thought she was strong.

"Aww, but you're so cute when you're insensible," J'klin joked. He returned
to the tender spot when she whimpered, knowing that it would hurt a bit to
work the cramp out, but that once he was done, it would be a lot better.
"Not like me, who turns into a big, stupid oaf."

Roana made a 'pffft' noise, "Only you would say I'm cute when I'm dopey on
fellis. I seem to remember - with a horrid sense of embarrassment - drooling
on your pant leg when I fell asleep on you when I was drugged up at
Dragonsfall. And Faranth, that was a long time ago, too."

J'klin thought that lewd comments regarding giving Roana something in his
lap to drool over were perhaps inappropriate for the present situation, and
decided instead to just snicker. "You were adorable, your face was all
droopy, and you couldn't follow a word I said... but to be honest, I think I
was just so happy that you were okay that I thought you were at your most
beautiful that day," he confessed.

That made her smile faintly over her shoulder at him. "It was only a minor
score. Barely even scarred," Roana murmured. "You were overreacting, I
think, but I appreciated the worry." The memory still had the power to warm
her heart at his protectiveness. She'd barely been out of weyrlinghood at
the time, they'd just become friends not long before and he'd been
wonderful.

"I know it was minor," J'klin said, moving his hands from her back up to
massage her head. "But when I heard that Phiralith had been scored, and I
didn't know until I got back what your status was... it scared me senseless.
I dunno what I'd have done if you'd have been seriously hurt, or killed."

The corner of her mouth quirked up. "Uh huh. And what would you do if I got
scored tomorrow, huh, tough guy?" She was curious... if he'd been that
worried when she was just a friend, how would he react now, when they were
hovering between friends and something more?

"My heart stops every time I see Phiralith blink /between/," J'klin
admitted. "Fortunately, you're in Queen's so it doesn't happen as much as if
you were in a higher wing. But if you were to get hurt, I dunno what I'd do.
I'd be a mess at first, that's for sure. I'd be inconsolable until I knew
you were ok. I'd make sure you got taken care of though. You know, sneak you
good snacks into the infirmary, read trashy romance novels to you."

Roana paused for a long moment and her face took on a more serious cast. "I've...
been thinking about asking to go into a regular Wing." She hadn't found a
good way to broach the subject with him until now, knowing he was comforted
by her easier role in Threadfall.

J'klin paused and thought about it for a moment. While it would make him
feel a bit less comfortable, it could also be an interesting new opportunity
for her. "Hmm. Well, I guess I can't help you make a decision until I know
what makes you want to get out of the Queen's Wing. Do you just feel like
you're bored down there? While I suppose it's "easier" in terms of the
amount of Thread you have to flame, it's a bit harder in that you have to
know how to compensate for injured dragons and a changing wing makeup."

"I don't know. It's hard to explain, I guess I just feel like I don't 'fit'
there the way I did at Dragonsfall." Her hazel eyes were thoughtful as she
resettled her head on the pillow, moving her hair so J'klin could rub her
neck. And it didn't help that she'd put forward what she thought was a
helpful suggestion, only to have Lady Rhosyn smack her down for it. She knew
the Weyrwoman was within her rights, but it still stung. Maybe it was a sign
that she needed to do something else for awhile.

Last updated on the April 27th 2011

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Do Something Else (1/2)