Logs:Going South
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| RL Date: 5 March, 2013 |
| Who: Delifa, L'van, Madilla |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Vignette |
| What: It's nearly the end, for Delifa. |
| Where: Southern Weyr |
| When: Day 25, Month 2, Turn 31 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: H'kon/Mentions, Iolene/Mentions, Satiet/Mentions |
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| In the morning, she went to Southern. It had been planned that way. She'd intended to leave early, so Delinda had arranged to have the children over night, giving her one less thing to worry about come morning. That her quiet evening alone had ended up being... less so, well, that was neither here nor there. Delifa was dying, and in the active sense, now, not the slow decline of the past turn. Madilla had recognised it three sevens ago, when they'd all gone down to visit for Delifa's turnday. This time, she went down alone, suspecting - though she didn't put it in words - that it might be for the last time. Or that if it wasn't, it might be the last time where her mentor of these past fifteen turns was really there. The Southern morning was steamily warm, and both a welcome relief from High Reaches' winter chill, and somewhat uncomfortable. Delifa no longer left her bed, now, but that was one of the benefits of Southern: she and L'van and Delvana lived in a little cottage, with a wide, grassy wallow for Viarisuth. In some ways, it felt like coming home, for Madilla, who'd grown up in a cottage not so very different from this one. Well. Less picturesque. More crowded. But still: a cottage, not a stone cavern. Delifa was sleeping. She looked so small, now - so frail. Her hair was thin and gray, her skin nearly translucent. Her hand felt miniature in Madilla's: like a bird's hand, prone to break if you even looked at it too hard. L'van hovered. He'd been doing that a lot, these last few months. Delvana was too young to be a moody teenager, but clearly considered herself too old to be a hurt, lonely child. She stayed away; L'van admitted he had no idea what to do with her, and was afraid, so afraid... They didn't say the words out loud, but Madilla knew what they were: he was afraid of what would happen once Delifa was no longer there. And now was not the time to make the offer that sat on the tip of Madilla's tongue. She'd been there an hour before Delifa woke. Even then... She was so feeble, and medicated with so much fellis, it was hard to hold a conversation. She only wanted to hear about Madilla, though. About the children. About the Infirmary. About her life. Even medicated, Delifa seemed able to read between the lines, pick up on things Madilla hadn't said. She didn't ask, though. Only, "You're looking after yourself? Promise me. Don't let your work take over your life. Don't let it, Madilla." Madilla promised. Delifa knew it was the end, too. She seemed quite calm about it. "I'm not afraid," she told her mentee, this woman who was so like, and yet so completely unlike the shy, terrified apprentice she'd once adopted. "I'm sorry for L'van, and for Vana, but not for myself. I'm ready. I'd go like Satiet did, if I had a dragon to go with me." In six sevendays, Madilla remembered, it would be the twelfth anniversary of Satiet's death. In a handful of days, it would be the first anniversary of Iolene's. The end of winter and the beginning of spring-- if it weren't for the births of her children, she'd probably dread this time of Turn. L'van hugged her tight, before letting her go, and she felt the weight of his emotion; she knew it, all too well. "I'll come back soon," she promised. "And as often as I can." He pressed a kiss to her temple. "Just promise you'll be here when the time comes," he said. "That's all we ask." She promised. It was a beautiful day, at Southern. She walked along the beach for a time, enjoying the breeze in her hair, and the sun on her shoulders. It felt awful, somehow, to be looking forward to returning to High Reaches, where the weather was awful, and the politics overwhelming, and yet... and yet. She turned her head into the sun, and smiled. |
Comments
Comments on "Logs:Going South"Azaylia (Dragonshy (talk)) left a comment on Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:31:24 GMT.
This was hearbreaking, but one of those harsh realities that need to be faced. Nice to see that Madilla is able to. :)
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