Tough to Swallow

Writers: Heather, Nicole Bonvisuto
Date Posted: 8th April 2014

Characters: Meridia, Saidrene
Description: Saidrene saves Meridia's firelizard from choking
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 6, day 5 of Turn 7

Meridia

Saidrene

Meridia pulled the punch through the leather vest and placed the
needle between her teeth. One hand held the vest in place while the
other pulled the flap down against the pocket, aligning the button
hole with the space where the thread poked through the fabric.

Perfect.

Her right hand flailed for the button she'd left on the table.

Button? Button? Button? Her hand continued to feel empty space and she
reached further. Leather punch. Scrap of fabric. Empty table. Claw.

Meridia looked up at her brown firelizard. Their eyes met and a
gagging sensation nagged at her throat as though something were
trapped inside but unable to come up. Tack's eyes whirled yellow.
Meridia nearly inhaled the needle.

"You sharding idiot!" She snapped, snatching the firelizard off the
table. Tack screamed and blinked /between/. He reappeared seconds
later, in the space where her hand had been, before promptly adhering
himself to her chest.

He made a gurgling, whining cry, and shared the feeling of a churning
stomach to accompany his gagging.

"You're a deadglow," she told Tack, trying to peel him off of her
shirt, as she rushed down the hall. After several attempts to detach
the firelizard, Meridia gave up and sighed, wearing the firelizard
into the dragonhealer's office like a broach.

Saidrene was sitting behind one of the senior journeymen's desks, her
feet propped up as she leaned back and scanned over the reading in her
lap. She knew that Razlier would kill her if he came back and found
her boots up on his desk but he was off making rounds and had said he
would be gone for a while.

At the sound of footsteps, Saidrene bolted upright, nearly
slingshotting herself from the chair in her abrupt haste to get her
feet down from the desk. She slumped with relief when she saw that it
wasn't Razlier but a woman with a firelizard pasted to her chest. "Can
I help you?" Saidrene asked, standing up and putting her book down.

Meridia was too busy trying to calm her panicking firelizard to
snicker at the girl's performance.

"My firelizard is stupid and is choking on a button. How do we make
him throw up?"

Firelizards were curious creatures by nature and Saidrene had
encountered more than one that had eaten something that it shouldn't.
"Hand him over?" She reached out for the flit.

Meridia attempted to separate Tack from her shirt multiple times
without success. She closed her eyes and sent her firelizard
reassurances that he would be okay, with all the love and support once
feels from the embrace of a close friend. Tack whined and allowed
Meridia to pull his claws out of the fabric.

He draped piteously across her hand as the tanner thrust him toward
the dragonhealer.

Tack looked up at Saidrene with whirling yellow eyes and gave a gurgling
wail.

Saidrene grabbed hold of Tack with firm hands, after all, it was quite
clear from his struggle that the firelizard wanted nothing more than
to be back with his 'owner'. She tried to stroke his head
reassuringly, but decided that getting the whole process over with,
and quickly, was the best idea. The young dragonhealer hooked Tack's
head between two fingers, aimed him down at the ground, and then she
gave him a solid "thwack!" on the back. One more "thwack!", and a
burp, and the button dislodged fell to the floor.

"Whew! There we go." Saidrene smiled as she held Tack out to Meridia.

"Thank you!" Meridia said, taking a rather indignant firelizard back
from the dragonhealer. Tack immediately clawed his way up her arm and
hid himself inside her hair. She rolled her eyes and scooped the
button off of the floor.

"You seem to be quite good at that. Though, I don't believe we've met.
I'm Meridia."

Saidrene smiled, "I have a little brother," she said with a shrug, in
explanation of why she was good at removing small objects that one
might choke on, "and I am Saidrene. It's good to meet you."

"Ha!" Meridia cackled.

"Does he just go around swallowing things? I'm suddenly glad that I
have no children."

"Well, he's ten now so he doesn't do it any more, but growing up it
was always 'what does he have in his mouth _now_?' Especially when my
mother would be busy and I was taking care of him." Saidrene shook her
head. She did have a soft spot for Kaibren, though they fought like
wherries and felines most of the time.

Meridia snorted.

"You're a rider's daughter, then, I take it?"

Saidrene rarely liked to bring her mother up in conversations. She had
found over the Turns that when people found out she was the
goldrider's daughter that it changed their perspective of her, "Yes,
she is, and my father was one as well."

Meridia noticed the girl's hesitance and decided not to pry.

"Well, you, me, and most of the other girls in the Weyr. Will you be
standing for Panitath's next Hatching, then?"

"Yes," Saidrene smiled, "with dragonriders for parents you are pretty
much expected to, you know? But beyond that, if I want to continue my
dragonhealing I have to Impress anyway. So hopefully I'll find a
lifemate before I age out." At sixteen, Saidrene still had some time
left before she had to start worrying.

The tanner grinned. She knew that hope.

"It is expected, but not everyone does, though I suppose being a
dragonhealer does add extra pressure. Enjoy Candidacy, though. It will
be some of the best turns of your life."

Saidrene shrugged, "Maybe, I don't see very much special about it
though. Having dragonrider parents I feel as though my entire
existence has been training me for a dragon." She was ready for
_something_ to happen in her life, something outside of the mundane.
But then, that was probably common for most teenagers.

"Don't stress about the dragons. I'm living proof that 'grooming'
someone for that life has no promises," Meridia shook her head. "It's
a rare thing to live with so many other people who are under most of
the same pressures and expectations as you, all while being in a space
where you're somewhat expected to be curious and get into trouble.
Even though I never Impressed, most of my best friends are from
growing up together in the barracks. Don't let the pressure get to
you."

"My mother would be perfectly happy if I was just a crafter, I think
part of her would like that because it means I would be safe from
Threadfalls." Saidrene admitted, "I just happened to choose a craft
that requires a dragon." She shook her head, "I'd better get back to
work," she looked back at the desk where she had been propping, "well,
"work"."

Meridia grinned.

"Well, thank you for saving my deadglow firelizard. Come visit me if
you find yourself in need of any leather. I figure I owe you one for
rescuing my button."

The tanner looked over at Tack, who was drifting to sleep on her
shoulder. She rolled her eyes.

Last updated on the May 4th 2014

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Tough to Swallow