Exactly As Planned 2/2

Writers: Yvonne
Date Posted: 14th August 2014

Characters: Alina, Elana, Palbran, Palinon, Elibra
Description: What: Alina's family comes to see her in the Infirmary after she Impresses
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 8, day 12 of Turn 7

Alina

Imarith was fed in the corner by a Dragonhealer while Alina submitted to having her robes pulled up and the gaping puncture wounds on the back of her legs numbed, doused with redwort, scrubbed for sand and finally stitched closed with ugly black stitches. "A fine pattern," the healer told her as he worked. "Five perfect little talons in your thigh to remember today by. As if you'd forget," he said, winking at Imarith where hovered in the corner. "You'll be sore for the next sevenday or so. Make sure to keep the physical activity on the lighter side so you don't tear your stitches. Keep the bandage on for at least a full day, and come see us to get it changed if it gets wet. We might be able to take the stitches out in a sevenday, two at most. Any questions?"

Alina shook her head, overwhelmed by the pain and the emotions radiating off the dragon in the corner. Satiation, concern, reflected pain. Sleepiness.

"Good! You have visitors. Keep the room for as long as you want." The healer grinned. "And congratulations, young lady!"

"Thank you," she said automatically. Then the healer left, and Imarith crept over from the corner to put her slightly bloody, still-sticky head in Alina's lap.

And then the door burst open, and Alina's family came through. Her father wore a stern expression as he crossed the room and gently took his youngest daughter into his arms. He kissed her temple. "Alina. My Alina. I am so proud of you."

"Father.." Alina buried her head in his shoulder and Imarith squawked.

}:Who is that?:{

"My father," Alina said aloud. They pulled apart and Palinon put a large hand on the dragonet's head. Imarith cocked her head to one side to examine the man. She was curious, but not frightened by his sudden appearance, which helped ease some of Alina's worry. "Her name is Imarith," she said nervously, her attention straying to the rest of her family, who crowded by the door. She tried to catch her twin's eye but couldn't.

"Imarith." He drew a hand over her head and pulled her close, mindful this time of the dragonet who watched them. "The duty you do for Pern is selfless. I am so proud to be your father."

A lump formed in her throat. **I will not cry. I will not cry,** Alina told herself as her father stepped away and it was her mother's turn to hug her. "Oh, Alina. When I saw you down there, I thought that my heart would burst!"

**I _will_ not cry!** Alina sniffled and the room went a little watery. She was smiling but her heart ached having them so close. "I missed you so much!"

"I know." Her mother cupped her face in her hands and kissed her forehead. Dressed in her Gather finest, her mother was a striking woman with bright red hair. Alina had used to think her the prettiest woman she'd ever seen, but now that she was at the Weyr she knew her for what she was-- a poor farmer's wife, dressed in what most of the Weyr considered be-ribboned working clothes. A farmer's wife instead of the wife of a Crafter or man of a major Holding, which she could have been.

It made Alina love her more fiercely, and feel even more inadequate for letting the Weyr grind her down. "I'm sorry-- I didn't mean to--"

"Impress?" Elibra laughed a little and exchanged a glance with Palinon. "Dearest, this is not the life that I had dreamed for you. This is a hard road you're on, and a dangerous one. But it's also an important one. An honourable one. You could no more help yourself when you saw Imarith than I could when I first met your father."

Alina nodded, biting her lower lip to keep it from wobbling. "I will do you proud," she said quietly. "I promise. But I don't... know what I'm doing." Everything had changed, and she felt adrift. Her future had been erased when she'd been Searched, but now it was set in stone in lines that weren't of her choosing. And she wasn't ready.

"You'll learn." Elibra embraced her daughter again, tightly, for as long as she could. When she pulled away, she was smiling. It was a little watery around the edges. "They'll teach you, and you'll learn."

}:Is that your father too?:{ Imarith asked.

Alina smiled. "This is my mother," she told the dragonet.

Imarith cocked her head to one side as she examined Elibra. }:I like her,:{ she said, then pushed against her mother's legs the way she'd nuzzled against Alina's on the sands. Elibra gasped and staggered, then put her hands on either side of the dragonet's head the way she'd seen her daughter do.

"Can I touch her?" her brother asked. At Alina's nod, Palbran approached with an outstretched hand as if Imarith was a runner instead of a dragon. Imarith turned her blue-green eyes on him, then waddled the two steps to close the distance between herself and the eleven-turn-old boy. Palbran laughed when his hand met her hide, and the dragonet waggled her tail in response, her eyes dancing merrily. "She's so soft!"

"They all are," Alina said. "I always thought they'd be more... leathery."

"More like leather," her mother corrected automatically. "She is very soft... Imarith."

"Can I ride her someday?" Palbran asked wistfully. "I want to fly."

Flying. The thought made her stomach clench, but Alina smiled through it. Flying and Thread and death and sex and oh no... "Of course. We'll take you anywhere you want to go."

There was a small cough by the door. "May we have a little time alone?" Elana asked.

Elibra and Palinon exchanged another, unreadable look. "Will you be coming to the Hatching Feast?" Elibra asked.

Alina nodded. "I'll have to settle Imarith first, but then I'll come find you."

"Good." Elibra kissed her daughter's forehead again. "I love you very much, young lady," she said before ushering Palbran and Palinon out.

And then Alina was alone with her twin. The moment their eyes met, Alina knew-- Elana was furious. They'd never been able to keep their moods hidden from each other. Alina held out her hand anyway, dreading the inevitable upcoming fight. "I missed you. Let's not argue. I don't know when I can see you again."

"I can't believe you actually did it." Elana stuck her nose in the air and began to pace the room, ignoring her sister's outstretched arm. The glowlight tangled in her red hair and sent sharp shadows across her face. "You've turned into one of _them_."

"It's not like I had a choice," Alina shot back. "Imarith chose _me_, not the other way around."

"And I'm sure that you did _nothing_ to encourage her," Elana said sweetly. She turned, a mean smile on her face and one hand on her hip. "I rather suspect that you've fallen victem to the Weyr's influence, dear sister."

Alina scowled back. The tension between them rose until the room fairly vibrated with it, and Imarith crept a little closer to Alina. Her eyes were beginning to spark yellow with alarm, and Alina instinctively put a hand on her head to comfort her. "You're such a dimglow."

"Admit it-- you've _fallen_. And there's the proof!" Elana gestured at Imarith, who promptly hid her head on Alina's lap.

Alina rolled her eyes, even as she held her dragon a little tighter. That struck a little too close to home after everything she'd been through with Ervine. Two sevendays later and his stupid joke still made her mad. "She's a baby. You shut your fat mouth about her."

"I was talking about _you_," Elana shot back.

"Which is even more ridiculous. You know me. You know what I'm like."

Elana arched her eyebrows. "Do I really? Because I don't think I do anymore. You left me alone and ran off to the Weyr--"

"I had no choice!" Alina spat. "Father made me!"

Elana continued to talk over her. "--and then you spent months doing who knows what with anyone who'd look at you, and now you've Impressed a _dragon_ which _proves_ that you're some sort of slut--"

"You are so very, amazingly dumb!" Alina laughed incredulously, a short, sharp, bark of ridicule. And she suddenly, surely knew that her twin was jealous. Spiteful and jealous, and the knowledge made her strong and mean. "Are you even listening to what you're saying? You clearly know nothing about dragons."

"I know what green dragons do," Elana hissed.

"Clearly you don't," Alina shot back. "Otherwise you wouldn't be making bovine noises with your mouth." An old taunt; a childhood insult that could still sting.

"You're just going to go around sleeping with the entire Weyr like some kind of whore. And the what about me?" Elana crossed her arms, glaring. "Did you _ever_ think about what your poor life choices will do to me? Who will want to marry me when I have a_deviant_ for a sister?"

"You? What about _me_? I was the one who got banished to this stupid Weyr and have had to be completely _alone_ because her stupid sister will barely even write!" Alina held Imarith a little closer. "What did I ever do? You were there-- I had no choice but to accept Search. And it's not _my_ fault that you're not good enough."

"Good enough for one of _those_?" Elana pointed at Imarith, who shrunk a little closer to Alina's side. The dragon was practically in her lap and it couldn't be good for her stitches. The numbweed made her not care. "Thank goodness I'm not! What a joke-- you seriously think that something like that could replace a real life with a real family?"

"Shut up!" Alina narrowed her eyes. The dragon knew the fight was about her-- she could feel it. And it wasn't fair-- she was only a few candlemarks old. "You don't get to talk about her! She's a _baby_!"

"She's a _beast_. Some stupid _animal_ that you thought was a good replacement for real people," Elana spat.

"She's a good replacement for you," Alina said sweetly. The barb hit it's mark; she could feel its impact in the way Elana sucked in her breath and curled her hands into fists. She wanted to take it back the moment it left her mouth, and also revelled in the hurt it caused. Elana shouldn't have said that. Not about Imarith.

"Fine," Elana said after a moment. Her eyes were narrowed, and Alina could feel the anger rolling off her. Hot and sour, prickling like lightning. "Take your stupid wherry and stay out of my life. I want nothing to do with a whorish pervert like you."

"Don't let the door hit you on the way out," Alina shapped back.

"I hope you die in Threadfall." Elana smiled and left the room, slamming the door as she left.

Alina stared after her, half-triumphant, half-reeling from her encounter with her sister. Her _twin_, her mirror and other half. It wasn't supposed to be like that. Today wasn't going as it was supposed to at all.

Last updated on the November 5th 2014

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Exactly As Planned 2/2