Logs:Because I'll Be Here
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| RL Date: 27 September, 2008 |
| Who: Madilla, Oysric |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Madilla forces cough syrup on Oysric, and gains an official unofficial family member. |
| Where: Infirmary, High Reaches Weyr |
| When: Day 12, Month 11, Turn 17 (Interval 10) |
| Infirmary, High Reaches Weyr Two sets of double doors, one from the the inner caverns and a recently built set from the dragon infirmary, lead into the unnaturally hushed human infirmary. Despite fastidious cleaning, the scent of redwort and numbweed has long since soaked into every smooth-carved surface, along with other, subtler medicinal smells. Pristinely made cots are lined up against the walls; most of them are left open to view, but some in the back are surrounded by curtains for delicate procedures or critical patients. About halfway between the two entrances is the counter for the healers on duty; it guards the entrance to the storage rooms just beyond, their shelves and cabinets lined with meticulously labeled bottles, boxes, jars, and even vats of supplies. The Weyrhealer's office is also here, along with another side room for mixing up medicines and the like. Mid-evening, the day after the Apple Harvest Festival, and the infirmary is pretty quiet. For once, Madilla's on her own, hanging out about the counter in the waiting area with some reading material, murmuring beneath her breath as she reads. Every so often, she looks up, then around, checking for anything amiss - but there's nothing, the few current residents all sleeping, the waiting area empty, so each time she lowers her head once more, to resume her intent study. Oysric's cough is getting worse. In fact, Oysric's cough can be heard even before he enters the infirmary. "Hey kiddo," the stablehand intones as he spots the teen. "I thought I might find you in here." There's a pause as he studies the Healer aprentice carefully. "Sorry, am I interrupting?" he asks, gesturing to her intent studying of her reading material. So it's no wonder, then, that Madilla looks up quickly as Oysric approaches, her hides already on their way to being set aside as he speaks. "No, just keeping myself occupied while it's quiet. No one minds if I study a bit. Are you okay, Oys? That cough." She gives him a stern look, matched with obvious concern in her voice, leaning forward to get a better look at him, as if other symptoms might be lurking just out of sight. "I like quiet nights too," Oysric tells her. "And I can't imagine a better time to study, either." He mutters incomprehensibly before finally telling Madilla: "The cough is fine. It'll work itself out." He waves off the look and the lean forward, saying, "It's just a few too many nights outside stargazing, I guess. It's normal." He pauses and then goes on to say, "Uh... this stays between us, right? I mean, the headwoman wouldn't hear about it and stop me from working, right?" Head bobbing, Madilla agrees, "It's the perfect time. I have exams in - ooh, six sevens or so? Trying to cram it all in." Despite this, she seems much more interested in that cough, and Oysric's explanation for it, her frown spreading to cross her entire face; she looks unimpressed. "It doesn't /sound/ normal. It sounds bad. Coughs can lead to worse things, you know. Do you want to end up in here," she waves her hands towards the back of the infirmary, the beds there, "for months?" Although her tone is chiding, she relents enough to say, "At least let me give you some cough syrup. I won't tell - healers don't talk about patients - but... please?" Oysric winces, telling Madilla: "Exams. That... does not sound appealing." There's a pause and then he asks the healer: "What happens if you do well in your exams? What do you need to do to get to Journeyman?" There's some kind of brotherly feel to his side of the conversation, the stablehand seemingly completely at ease with Madilla. "Oh, I've had coughs like this before," he tells her, not necessarily meaning to explain himself. "It's fine." But then there's another pause as he looks toward the back of the infirmary, his brows drawing upward. "Uh... no." he admits. "Cough syrup?" The question is asked like the healer just said she was going to have to put down one of the runners in the stables. "That..." he admits more freely. "... does not sound appealing either." "Oh, they're all right," says Madilla, not dismissively, as such, but without too much concern. "So long as I get my studying done, anyway. I'm not up for any promotions for a long time - only been a turn since I made Apprentice. I'll need turns more experience to make Journeyman. It's just to track our progress, make sure we're not getting behind." She remains unconvinced of his comments on the cough, her lips ever so slightly pursed. "Cough syrup," she repeats, sternly. "Just a little, to quiet it down so no one notices, and to help you sleep better at night. It doesn't taste too bad, or anything." Oysric sighs deeply, telling her: "Well, it might be nice to sleep better." Madilla's given another look, considering her for a moment before finally saying, "I'm sure you'll be fine with your exams and everything. I can't imagine you -not- being on track, Madilla." The stablehand looks to the back of the infirmary again before rubbing his face with both hands, letting them drop slowly. "Alright, alright," he agrees, albeit reluctantly. "... cough syrup it is then." "I thought as much," Madilla tells him, satisfied - maybe even outright /pleased/ - with his capitulation. She's flushing with his praise, head bobbing down just slightly, as she admits, "I hope I am. I think so. It's harder, this time, because I don't have actual classes, like most of the apprentices. No notes, see? When I go back to the Hall, a few days before the exams, I'm going to have to get Daegan to give me his." Pause. "Back in a minute." She scurries off into the storeroom, hair flying behind her, in search of that cough syrup. Oysric grumbles under his breath as he spots that look of satisfaction if not pleasure. "Right, no classes since you're at a Weyr," he replies, then frowns. "Does that make it easier or harder for you?" A few beats pass and, as she flies out of sight and into the storeroom he calls out another question: "Who's Daegan?" "Maybe both?" Madilla continues talking, even once she's disappeared into the storeroom. Her voice carries - but not so much that she's likely to wake up sleeping patients. When she emerges a moment later, bottle in hand, she's explaining, "I know more about /doing/ things, now, than them. But they know the theory. So I'm better at the practical exams, but not as good at the theory. But I can learn that. Daegan's my-- we were Apprentices, together, at the Hall. Friends." "Practical stuff," he tells her, nodding in understanding. "That makes... a whole heck of a lot of sense." He looks at that bottle with disdain, a grimace settling in on his lips. "And you can learn theory easy," he finally says, returning to the topic of her test-taking. He gestures to his ears before saying dryly, "... you just need to figure out a way of cramming it in your head without it leaking out on the floor." Madilla sets the bottle down on the counter top, giving Oysric a meaningful glance as she does, as if to say 'go on, pick it up, be a good boy'. "Just take a swig when you start coughing, and maybe a good, long one before you go to bed. Won't interfere with drinking, or anything else. Just... look after yourself." Of test taking, she adds, with a stiff little smile, "Exactly right. And the getting it out again... I can remember things fine, usually. I have a good memory. But expressing myself? It's harder. But I do okay, I think." "I'll remember," Oysric remarks back to her dryly, one hand rising to snag the bottle. "I might just have a swig of it before I go to bed tonight." He doesn't seem to like the idea of doing that, but he might just end up doing it. "I actually didn't even come here for this," he replies, gesturing with the bottle. "I actually came to see how my favourite Healer was doing." He pauses at her next remarks with regard to her test-taking. Whatever she says, it makes him shake his head. "You're expressing yourself fine with me, right now, Madilla." "You'd better," says Madilla, mock-threatening, her finger waggling at him. "Or you'll only have yourself to blame when you end up in my clutches for more than just brief visits. Don't do too much stargazing until you get better, either. Cold is bad for coughs." She looks pleased at the real purpose of his visit, her face lighting up and her posture straightening just a little. "It's good to see you. And-- yes, I probably am. But writing it? That's harder. I'm getting better, now that I write patient charts, and sometimes letters, but... It's still hard." Oysric just grimaces again at the bottle before finally pocketing it. "Yeah, yeah," he tells her. "Maybe I'll do my stargazing earlier at night rather than later." He does, however, smile warmly at the Healer before going on to say, "It's good to see you too, Madilla, especially if you're working so hard for your exams too." He listens to her next comments, nodding again to her. He replies back: "Writing was always hard for me too. But... we /do/ have a Harper or two here. Gisele or something or other, from what I remember. You could always ask for help from her if you really felt the need to get better in that area." Madilla has perfected a good healer stare, one with raised eyebrows and a long suffering sigh. But she nods, apparently accepting Oysric's words, managing to smile back at him. "Six weeks, and then I'm off to the Hall to take them, and after that - nearly Turnover, and a little bit of a break, aside from my shifts here. Then I'll have more time." She nods, slowly, at mention of the Harper, admitting, "When I was at the Hall, I took classes with the Harpers, to help with my reading and writing, did I tell you that? It stopped when I came here, and because I was doing better, but... Maybe. It might help." Oysric grimaces again at the stare Madilla gives him, grumbling even under it. But it's not like he can say no or disagree with her on him getting better by taking the cough syrup. "Six weeks," he tells her. "I'm sure you'll be prepared by then for sure." He smiles back at the Healer before going on to say, "She lives here at the Weyr, why not take advantage of it? Learn how to express yourself better, if that's what you want to learn." "I hope so," says Madilla, but she sounds pretty confident, smiling contentedly. "It'll be nice to go back and visit, actually. Nearly six months since I left - feels like so much longer! Well. Slightly less. Five, maybe. Still." She nods again, apparently thinking hard on this, and then, a broader smile blossoms on to her features. "I think I will. Maybe after exams, though. Too much to do in the meantime. But I will." Oysric nods a couple of times as he listens to Madilla, his pale hazel eyes studying the healer apprentice. "I'm sure it'll be nice to see familiar surroundings like that, yeah," he replies back. "I've never been away from the Weyr for that long at all, really, so I don't have anything to compare it by though." He smiles once more to Madilla, nodding in agreement with her, or perhaps her work ethic. "Leova took me to visit my family, a little while back. It was... strange." Madilla doesn't elaborate on that, though, continuing on to add, "Until I went to the Hall, I'd never slept in a bed that wasn't my own - never been away from the Hold for more than a few hours, really. I suppose I'm getting used to missing people and places, now. I think it would be nice to not have to, though. To be at home, and able to do all the things you love." "Do you think of the Weyr as home now, though," Oysric asks. "Or do you think you ever might think like that?" He moves to lean against the wall, appearing thoughtful for a few beats before finally replying, "If it helps at all, I think family can be chosen. Maybe not those of your own blood, but you always have the choice of choosing people to be a part of your bigger family." He nods once more to the healer, growing quiet in his thoughtfulness. Madilla shakes her head, admitting, in a low, soft voice, "I'm not sure. I thought my family-- but when I went back, I didn't feel like I belonged, anymore. I was... different, without meaning to be. I like the weyr. I'm happy here. But I could get sent to the Hall again next seven. Do I even have a home?" She looks genuinely pleased with the idea of choosing your own family, breathing out a low sigh as she nods. "I like that. Bigger family." "You'll always have one here, Madilla," Oysric points at the ground, meaning the Weyr. "Because I'll be here. And even if your family, those people you are related to by blood don't make you feel like you belong? I will always try to make you feel like you belong. And if you leave? You'll still have a home here no matter what." He smiles again before nodding to her agreement of his concept. "Exactly," he tells her. "Bigger family." Madilla is very still as Oysric speaks, and for a moment, it looks almost as though she's about to cry, like her eyes are slightly glassy, but if that was so, it doesn't take. When she does speak, after quite a pause, it's in a hushed tone, achingly pleased. "Thank you, Oys," she tells him. "That means-- I hope you know I think the same about you. You're--" she breaks off, obviously lacking the words to continue, so just smiles across at him instead. There's no recognition registering on Oysric's face, so it's impossible to know if he notices that period of time where it almost looks like Madilla might cry. He smiles again at her comments, nodding to her without saying anything. This, however, is easy to read. Acceptance, agreement. Understanding. "Right back at you, kiddo," Oys replies back with another ready smile. Madilla goes silent again, then, looking pleased, though she adds after a few moments, "I'm going to be 'kiddo' to you forever, aren't I, no matter how old I get?" It's teasingly said, as she leans her arms down onto the countertop, shaking her plait from her shoulder to her back as she does so. "Yep," he tells her, flashing a brief grin to her. "Kiddo." And with that, he begins walking out of the infirmary. "Thanks again for the cough syrup, Madilla," he calls out just loud enough to be heard. "I'll be sure to use it." Sometime, perhaps. But for now? He leaves with light steps that fade away as he gets farther and farther. "You'd better," is Madilla's parting cry, but not too loud: there are patients, after all. She's still smiling, as she goes back to her hides. |
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