Logs:Beating Gums
| |
|---|
| |
| RL Date: 14 October, 2011 |
| Who: Madilla, Evali |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Evali has been wanting to congratulate Madilla for months. It results in -- girl talk. Serious girl talk, but girl talk. |
| Where: Healer Workroom |
| When: Day 15, Month 13, Turn 26 (Interval 10) |
| Weather: Brilliant light plays off of the dunes of snow as a cloudless winter day brings with it extreme cold. |
  |
| Blessed free time! Evali has eaten, Yanijath /is/ eating, Evali is not required to be present for that (thankfully) -- having completed all of her actual daily obligations, she's found herself free to do what she actually wishes. It's very rare that her free time corresponds with Yanijath being distracted, and so she is breathing a figurative sigh of relief as she heads into the workroom, Emme's gift notebook under her arm. Not even stopping to consider who else is present, she starts humming some tune under her breath as she migrates to an herb drawer and opens it. There's a fair amount more of Madilla, these days, now that she's past the six month mark of her pregnancy and is heading irrevocably towards the seventh. Still, she's quiet as she works, perched atop her high stool just next to those glassed windows; quiet, also, as she glances up to note Evali's arrival, a faint smile cresting her face as she considers the weyrling. "Free afternoon?" she asks, just lightly, attempting to strike the tone of her voice to be not-too-surprising to one unawares of her presence. Hopefully. Thankfully Evali had not yet lifted up a jar, lest she drop it -- but she doesn't seem /too/ startled as she turns around on a heel to face the source of the voice. (For anyone familiar with pre-Impression Evali, it is likely still odd to see her with her hair up in a bun. She's yet to take it down for the night.) "Yes," she says fondly, normally thin expression blossoming into a smile laden with less than her usual hesitation. "I was hoping I might see you sometime soon. I have not properly congratulated you, yet." Madilla is surrounded by bunches of herbs, as well some some gloves of garlic, and is in the midst of chopping them all up, presumably to add to the pot she's got warming up. Now, though, she sets her knife down, shifting her body so that she can face Evali directly - and smile, warmly, for that congratulations. "Thank you. It's - certainly a happy occurrence. And how is Yanijath?" "According to her," Evali replies with a slight amused quirk to her smile, which had been slowly reverting back to its normal line-status, "she is starving. I believe this is inaccurate, as she is still being picky about what she chooses to eat and I think that I would know if she were, actually, starving. According to me, she is quite well, and very clean. Proving to be a very good wingsecond." This is said awkwardly, as Evali focuses on her feet as if they are the most interesting thing in the world with the words leaving her lips. Yanijath is a good wingsecond. Evali ... lets Quinlys do everything, human-wise. "You are doing well? I hope you have a very good midwife." That makes Madilla laugh, genuinely, though her gaze narrows in just slightly as Evali begins focusing on her feet like that. "She sounds like an interesting complement to you," is her conclusion, made in an easy tone of voice, no hidden meanings or questions. "They're getting so big." And, "You must be proud to have been chosen to be a wingsecond." Of her pregnancy - well, her hands curl around the rest snugly about her expanding belly, that unconscious gesture that so many women end up adopting. "I'm well, yes. It's been an easy pregnancy. Almost too easy. One of the healers will be on hand, when the time comes. Perhaps Delifa; I'm not sure yet." Evali's focus leaves her feet and goes back to her hands, then -- and, after a moment's hesitation, back to Madilla. "She is. Yes. She tries so hard to get me to talk to people -- I am doing so now and yet she is yammering about how this is still /working/." Evali actually rolls her eyes, which may be a lifetime first. "But we were, yes -- are. I was not expecting to be singled out. I have no skill at leading people, and my Blood is meaningless to Weyr rank, so I had not been expecting --" As her voice speeds up, getting lost in the meaning of it all, it reaches a head and then abruptly stops. A beat, a swallow, a tiny shrug, "I could." Swallow, again. "Deliver, I mean, I am sure you do not need coaching as some others do so perhaps it is not so strange you do not have someone /now/." Despite saying all of that in a much calmer tone, Evali is still being much bolder than she would have been in even offering, absent a journeyman's knot: likely further Yanijath doing in action. "I miss it," she confesses, quieter. There's a certain amount of almost mother-like fondness in Madilla's expression as Evali speeds up, for all that there's hardly more than a few turns between them in age. "Perhaps they're doing it to stretch you," she says. "Or for Yanijath's benefit. I'm sure they know what they're doing; you just have to do the best you can. Which," she adds, firmly, "I'm sure you are." The offer can't be a complete surprise, surely, and yet it seems to be: Madilla sets back on her chair, her whole posture shifting as she considers the weyrling. Surprise does not, however, mean immediate dismissal of the idea - a few moments later, she gives a little nod. "If you're not in class, when the time comes; if it won't take you away from something important, I mean, then yes, of course. I-- can't imagine how much I'd miss healing, if it were me." There's always, always that faint tinge of /something/ when she talks about the very idea of Impression when related to herself, and yet, she smiles. "I did not do so very much of it, even," Evali agrees, and finally actually takes a seat; she doesn't have all her things together yet, but they're talking, and standing can get old when you've already been doing it all day. As it is, she barely perches on the edge of a chair -- despite having abandoned leathers for the loose dresses she is more comfortable in, something about her is still tense. "But birth, and the months before, have been so much of my life for so long. And you have been with child nearly as long as Yanijath has been hatched and I have -- not been involved. I was a part of every pregnancy, and now I feel -- detatched." "Detached," repeats Madilla, letting the word lounge through her mouth even as her brow furrows with thought. "Yes - of course you do." The healer's hands splay idly over the dress she wears, tracing circles over and over again upon the curve of her belly. "In that case, I promise: if it's at all possible, you can be involved with me and mine, Evali. Perhaps-- there's no reason why, after you graduate, you couldn't work with us at least a little. Without a Journeyman's knot, you can't be /official/, of course, but..." She's thinking out loud, biting on her lip between words as she considers them. Some of Evali's tension releases as Madilla speaks; she seems to harbor no doubt as to the complete lack of possibility of her actually becoming a Journeyman, but the rest of what is said seems to please her. For all that she doesn't actually come out and say it, the fact that her shoulders are moving even further away from her ears is likely helping with that presentation. "I appreciate that," she says, with a light voice and tentative, fond smile. "Please do not feel as if you must merely to help /me/, though. I only wish to offer my skill. It has been mentioned, also -- I might make a good dragonhealer. We are thinking of pursuing that. When she chooses to listen." Madilla matches fond smile with fond smile, assuring Evali that, "I know. But I'd appreciate having it on hand. I've delivered a few babies, and been the one in labour, too, but - it's still a scary prospect. If you managed as well as you did, without all the supplies we have /here/... then I'd very much like you on my side." As it were. The healer's mouth twists, as though she's thinking about something else, but she neither says anything about it, nor lets it linger. Instead, "Dragonhealer. That's an excellent idea." Beat. "But, 'when she chooses to listen'?" "You have some things here I do not even /understand/ the functions of," Evali admits with the faintest bit of blush. "As well as -- stronger, I think, pain relief. I did my best, though; I cannot imagine how nice it must be not to have to be coached and talked through every breath." She may have an idealistic notion of painkillers. And then, the subject of Yanijath's headstrong attitudes resurfaces -- it never stays gone for long -- and Evali's focus flits back to her feet. "She is difficult. It can be a battle to get her to do something if she does not think it will be fun and sometimes I just get tired. Of trying to force her." Amusement expands across Madilla's expression; she's holding back a low laugh, though it doesn't /seem/ to be Evali she's laughing at. "It's not /quite/ so easy as that," she murmurs. "But yes. Stronger pain relief, better equipment. It helps. I admire women who managed without, even if, I suppose, they didn't know what they were missing." Which makes her scrunch her face again, thoughtful. "Ah," she says, of Yanijath. "Yes. That must be-- difficult." She's clearly out of her depth, and yet, she suggests, "Call it a game? I don't know. I don't know much about dragons /or/ dragonhealing, really." "Usually that works!" Evali's responding tone is encouraging, in response to the slightly /dis/couraged confession of lack of knowledge. "But sometimes it is 'we already /played/ that today, Evvy.' I hope that I can interest her in healing, if there is much she would need to do. I know little about it myself, but I am learning. She finds studying distasteful and often goes out and plays in whatever weather is available at the time while I do, but she does learn her formations. Because flying is /always/ fun. And I -- the only pain relief I could offer was me. Massage, and ... I guess you would call it hypnosis, here." "It sounds like dealing with a particularly stubborn and wilful child," admits Madilla, not without a faint smile - even as her cheeks turn faintly pink. "Not that I-- that is-- well. You know?" Hopefully. "At least, I suppose, she could provide a pleasant distraction to the dragon in pain." She's mulling the thought over as she speaks, though lets it hang without further clarification or consideration: it's just too far out of her area of expertise. "/Hypnosis/. Well - it makes some sense. Still. It must have been difficult. To deal with." Laughter, again, at this observation of Yanijath's behavior; it's clear Evali agrees. "Yes, it is rather like that. Though I have not had any of my own, I have -- seen many, and while I have soothed many a fussy baby a nearly nine foot tall creature is harder to wrangle." And yet, the mental image seems to be keeping her smile affixed. "And it was not /really/ hypnposis, but guided mental exercise. The closest I have heard of here is hypnosis. I do not think they are the same. Yanijath would like you to know she would sing and tell stories to anyone, not just dragons in pain, but especially them, and was /very firm/ on that it was important for you to know." Between Madilla and her dragon, Evali is just relaxing into never letting go of smiling. It's unusual. Again, Madilla laughs; she seems relieved that her remarks have not been taken the wrong way, and pleased, too, at how the conversation is going. "I'm sure she'd be very good at that - you can tell her I said that, too." The healer shifts her weight, arching her back as she stretches, and adds, "Mental exercise - yes, of course. I suppose we do do that kind of thing sometimes, too. It's interesting: what is the same, what isn't. How it all works." She shifts again, and sighs, noting, "This whole pregnancy thing would be easier if the baby didn't particularly like sitting on my--" beat. "bladder." Having friendly relationships with females is still unusual for Evali; her whole life, there were really only four -- Emmeline, Iolene, Seani and Riorde -- she spent much of any time around besides her own sister. But with Yanijath's constant, pushy presence making sure that they have more and more people to girltalk with, she is branching out. A little. And if she has to talk to people, she would like to be talking to someone like Madilla, even if she is still terribly awkward about the entire thing. "It is at least better than your lower back, I think? You walk well -- also, a bladder is probably very comfortable. Warm and squishy. Then again, I suppose if you are unborn, so is everything else. Yanijath, by the way, says --" She hesitates in the translation to shake her head a little. "That she appreciates your encouragement and that she thinks that you would probably be good at oiling her paws and should come 'beat gums' with her. Which is some thing she says that means sit around and talk. Clearly this is not the best time of your life to be paw oiling, but she seems to either not understand or not care." Madilla stretches again, allowing, "You're quite right. I'm sure that will come, though-- for now, there's still plenty of space. Later..." She's not complaining though, not really: her smile is cheerful enough, and the way her hands keep moving over her belly? No, she's not anything but pleased. "Warm and squishy; it's no wonder, really, they protest coming out into the world so much." Yanijath's remarks make her mouth twitch, twitch again, and then, break into a brilliant smile. "I'd be delighted to," she assures the greenrider, with a firm nod of her head. "She sounds lovely. I--" Abruptly, she stands. "Okay, that's /too/ much pressure." On the bladder? Quite possibly. "I'll, uh, talk to you later, Evali?" Because right now? She needs to dash. "Of course," is out of Evali's mouth before she even realizes it -- she is left with a rather shocked expression as a direct result of both enthusiastically agreeing to talk to someone again /without/ any set, important conversational topic ... and Madilla's pleased and positive response to Yanijath's ridiculous paw-oiling request. "We will see you later, then," she adds, once she's snapped herself out of the shock, which, thankfully for Madilla's bladder, only lasts about a second outside Evali's head. Once she is alone in the workroom, she does even actually do some studying -- but it's not too long before she has to go do some oiling. Again. For the third time in eleven hours. |
Leave A Comment