World of Pern
[G] [C] 734.12.17 | Broken Realisations - Printable Version

+- World of Pern (https://pern.second-pass.net/forum)
+-- Forum: Southern Pern (https://pern.second-pass.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=5)
+--- Forum: New Katila Weyr (https://pern.second-pass.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=81)
+---- Forum: Weyrfolk Housing (https://pern.second-pass.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=84)
+---- Thread: [G] [C] 734.12.17 | Broken Realisations (/showthread.php?tid=2655)



734.12.17 | Broken Realisations - V'ra - 06.Jun.14

Indivara sat silently in the middle of V’ler’s bed, her legs crossed at the ankles and her arms wrapped around her knees. The expression on her face was blank, deep blue eyes staring silently into space as she tried not to think, tried not to feel. A shiver wound its way down her spine with intensity, and the girl gave a full body shudder and blinked, focusing her gaze on the other side of the small room, and the only door to get in.

The entire set up was tiny, but the bed was big enough that, after Krypth’s latest clutch’s hatching almost a week prior, Indivara had made herself once more at home in V’ler’s bed. The energetic and more than a little dramatic hatching had reawaken nightmares, and Indivara, stubborn as she was, had returned without any true conscious thought back to her safety net. It meant that Venseth was not as close to her, but she could hear him shifting his weight up on the roof and could feel his reassuring presence wrapped through every part of her mind. At night, she clung to V’ler, and was thankful the other bluerider never made a comment.

Indivara curled over slightly, resting her head on her clasped hands, and trying not to think about why she was waiting for V’ler to get back from… whatever he had spent the evening doing. It had been two hours since Krypth’s final, mind numbing screech had been heard, and her last trip between had been taken. The gold had stayed long enough to have Jada’s body brought out to her – but who could have denied the distraught dragon that was screeching and ready to rip down the wall to get to what was left of the woman? All but the midwife who had responsibility of it, had at that moment had forgotten the infant she had died bearing. Indivara did not even know what gender the child was.

Venseth crooned gently, a sound Indivara heard far more through their bond than with their ears, and she rocked slightly where she was sitting, refusing to acknowledge the tears that had begun to trail without fuss down her cheeks. Jada had been one of her only female friends; the woman had put up with Indivara bossing her around, tormenting her dragon, and her bad taste in humour. Indivara had lost family and people she had known in the landslide, but she had not truly lost someone she cared about; Indivara had – did – love Jada dearly, and she had no idea how to cope with losing her.

The girl’s head raised as the door opened, and Indivara’s watery gaze informed her V’ler had seen fit to come home; she could not see enough of him through her tears to determine what expression he was wearing. She knew that he and Jada had been in the same Weyrlinghood class; she had never listed to enough of Jada’s stories to know more than that – or recall it at that moment. Barely giving him time to shut the door behind himself, Indivara threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck, and one leg over his hip so he was carrying far more of her weight than she was. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, crying silently.


Re: Broken Realisations [V'ler] - V'ler - 07.Jun.14

You need to go back eventually, Veeth crooned softly, making his already lilting voice all the more gentile and comforting. V’ler shrugged in response though he knew his dragon was right. It was getting late and he couldn’t sit outside mourning all night. If nothing else, finding strong alcohol to dull some pain before continuing his silent and lonely vigil in the growing dark sounded like a good idea. He wasn’t even much of a drinker, having almost given up on the substance entirely since Impressing, but there were always exceptions and losing a childhood friend ranked high on that list.

In truth, that was only partially right. Losing Jada hurt but the guilt he now carried needed to be dulled more than anything else. He had been closer to her brother in their youth and didn’t really notice Jada. It was only when they crossed paths again at Katila, having both been kidnapped and brought to the mysterious Weyr that he took it upon himself to be her protector in place of her brother. She also became a friend, despite getting bitchy at times after Impressing to gold and trying to change things to be more fair to her gender and position. Jada had been a friend and almost a little sister to him and now she was gone.

And he had watched her die and could do nothing about it.

Like with her surgery that saved her arms those weakened dexterity in both hands, Jada had wanted him beside her as she gave birth. As before, she wanted to hear him sing, something he rarely did anymore having preferred to focus more on writing than preforming. He had complied, singing softly some songs he knew she loved, doing his best to keep her calm during the labour. It had been a challenge though. Like with Indivara’s delivery, it left V’ler feeling a bit queasy but he focused more on Jada’s face than anywhere else. He knew before the Healers had said anything that something was wrong, however. There was a lot of blood and Jada seemed so weak. He knew Jada knew as well. They had locked gazes and an understanding passed between them as they held each other’s hand tightly.

She had smiled at the very end and V’ler had almost convinced himself everything was fine, even when Krypth started keening for her fallen rider. The Healers had pushed him away from where he stood frozen in place, still clinging to Jada’s lifeless hand. They had to bring Jada to Krypth and he was in the way, or so he was told several minutes later when he was guided out of the room, still in shock. Even Veeth’s distress barely reached him in that time and it took someone – V’ler had no idea who it was – to guide him to his sweet dragon before V’ler broke down and the crying against a soft blue hide started.

It had continued for quite some time, only stopping enough to mount Veeth and tell him to go somewhere where no one would find them. He needed to be alone. He couldn’t stand to see anyone right then and needed to come to terms with everything that had happened. He had failed as a guardian and a friend and now he had lost someone close to him. Watching a classmate go between in practice and never return had been a shock and caused V’ler to avoid betweening whenever he could but this was different. He felt this loss far more deeply.

Veeth was right, however. Drinking wouldn’t help but heading home and curling up in his slightly comfortable bed sounded nice. He would still be left alone and he’d be lost under his blanket and able to tune out the world and Vex and Quill would still be able to keep him company by taking turns in his lap like they had been doing since Veeth found the quiet location. It was only when he finally made it home and stumbled into his room that he remembered Indivara and the girl’s friendship with Jada. His own pain had blinded him to the pain others would feel. He would have felt horrible for it if he had any emotions left to give.

He held out his arms when Indivara flew at him and held her close as she wrapped herself around him, seeming to attempt merging their bodies into one. More stumbling, this time under their combined weight, brought V’ler to his bed and whether Indivara knew she had done it or not, he sat down when she had both legs wrapped around his waist.

The tears began to fall again as V’ler lifted one hand to rub circles on Indivara’s back. He could feel her silently crying as well and it was only from months of learning how to comfort someone that V’ler instinctively did the light gesture without thought. In a way, it helped him as well. It was something bordering on normality and it helped to have something to focus on other than his loss and how useless he had been.

He supposed he should have said something but V’ler didn’t know what to say. What was there to say? Everyone knew what had happened thanks to the dragons and it was hard to say everything would be okay when he currently wasn’t sure it would be. He couldn’t even think of something to help distract them. So he held Indivara. They’d figure it out together eventually.



Re: Broken Realisations [V'ler] - V'ra - 08.Jun.14

The contact was soothing, familiar; Indivara became aware of it slowly, rising from the depths of the uncaring pool of sorrow reluctantly. Time had seemed to stand still, and Indivara had no idea how much of it had passed, washed away with shared tears, and her arms around V’ler’s neck tightened slightly for a moment as she lifted her face from the crook of his neck. She was surprised, and not, to see the stains of tears on her friend’s face; one hand slipped over his shoulder and down V’ler’s chest before she lifted it and gently brushed the tears away from under his left eye. After a moment, she repeated the process on the other side of his face.

“You look hideous,” Indivara said softly, trying vainly for a teasing tone, but her voice was rough from crying and not very far above inaudible. Giving a sad little smile, Indivara leaned forward, placing a light kiss on V’ler’s lips; she could taste his tears. She let the kiss linger long enough to make her point, but the girl pulled back before he could respond, and Indivara licked her own subconsciously as she stared dully over his shoulder. Her eyes filled with tears once more as the loss made itself known, the heavy weight of it in the room waiting to suffocate them both, and Indivara gave a shaky sigh.

Jada had been so jealous when Indivara had told her she was pregnant; she was outright murderous when she had found out the child Indivara had borne was Valerian’s. Indivara had been confused, and hurt; she had figured it out eventually, but at the time all she had wanted to do (and she had!) was hit Jada for being so stupid. The goldrider had adored the little girl, a relief for Indivara who had been able to palm the child off on her friend for much of the time the Healers were being idiots. When Jada had found out she was pregnant, she had not been shy about confiding in Indivara that she quite thought their children would be a grand couple. Indivara had rolled her eyes.

Now, she was gone, and there would be no one to play match-maker for the poor children. There would be no one to storm up to, bitch about all the woes in the world, and have her understand because she was on the same page. No more Krypth, teasing her that Venseth was only good enough because he was blue, but he would have been so much better, if he were her’s. Indivara made no attempt to stop the tears that slowly tumbled down her cheeks. How could something so natural, take someone so healthy, while Indivara – who couldn’t even last a month without getting ill – did the same thing with no issues? It wasn’t fair!

Indivara closed her eyes, letting tears tumble free from under her lashes, as she did her best to listen to Venseth as the dragonet did his best to help sooth away the sudden fury. Indivara’s fingers fisted around a handful of V’ler’s shirt at his chest, the only outward sign of her anger, besides the play of emotions across her features. Indivara had never been one to feel in part, when she could be a raging monsoon of emotions.


Re: Broken Realisations [V'ler] - V'ler - 08.Jun.14

V’ler didn’t move when Indivara brushed away his tears though once upon a time he would have cringed at such an action, though not because of who was doing it; though her penchant for punching people did help with bringing up the cringe factor. He had never been one for a lot of physical contact with anyone and preferred to keep mostly to himself but thanks to his time with Veeth who couldn’t refrain from chasing every green to show his affection and his own inability to fully master the flight lust after losing, V’ler had found himself cozied up to far too many people for his preference to avoid contact to last forever. Learning how to console Indivara when he had, on a partial whim, decided to play protector and swoop in to take her away from the ruined golden egg and every other horrifying hatching since then had helped him accept the odd yet kind gesture of wiping away the tears as well. He doubted it would do much in the end, however, since his emotions were still raw and unable to be tempered in any way.

At least Indivara attempted to resume their regularly scheduled routine of bickering in that moment and while she missed the usual sharpness in her words, V’ler managed something that almost passed as a smile. “Ditto,” he managed to whisper before lips were on his. Green eyes rimmed in red from tears were wide as V’ler continued to sit there frozen as he rushed to catch up to what happened. The kiss was over before he managed and he regarded Indivara for a long moment as he registered what had happened and why. It seemed to be another coping mechanism; a moment of understanding shared between two hearts that ached for the loss of someone dear.

As the silence stretched and V’ler couldn’t do anything except replay Jada’s final moments over and over in his mind, he finally gave a long shaky sigh and looked at Indivara, trying to catch her gaze with his. “Do you remember the story of the farm boy that became a Harper?” It was his own life’s story told in third person though he knew Indivara knew the truth of it. It had been told, again on a whim, the night he had done his best to distract Indivara from the horror of what spilled from the ruined gold egg as he sang songs and told stories. He wasn’t in the habit of talking about his life but it had seemed right at the time to make the girl more at ease around him and it seemed right again to continue the tale with more details to perhaps explain why he was so broken over Jada’s loss.

His hands slowly trailed down from Indivara’s back to rest on her hips to shift his hold as he began to lean back. V’ler waited only long enough for the girl to change the way her legs rested so he could lie on his bed properly without arching over her at some odd angle and stared up at the ceiling once he was settled. “He assumed he’d keep to himself and simply study since most people were a waste of his time but almost immediately he was noticed by one of the sons of a Harper that lived at the Hall. His name was Litir and they became loyal friends that studied together and played together in the rare free time allotted them. Litir had a little sister that idolized her brother and always tagged along – or at least tried to. She usually lurked around the corner or the other side of the door, watching the boys play.”

He paused to take another deep breath though his gaze never left the ceiling. His fingers played in small circles on Indivara’s thighs absently, a gesture borne of needing to keep their contact combined with the way his hands were usually moving whether from playing the guitar or putting ideas to paper. “They were almost like brothers and because of that, they kept in touch despite one going off to various Holds around the Northern continent to share his knowledge through songs and lessons. One day, he returned to Harper Hall to have Litir tell him the little sister vanished without a word. It was upsetting and he ignored all the rumours that flew around about it. Some time passed and he was back again at the Hall taking a break, which was both a mistake and a blessing as a bluerider stole him away to a mysterious land never before seen. Oddly enough, that was where he found the little sister. A vow was made to watch over her, keep her safe in Litir’s absence, and pick up the friendship that had never fully blossomed in the past.”

V’ler fell silent then and only glanced away from his stunning ceiling when a wisp of cold air brushed his left cheek. Vex and Quill had rejoined him and both sat on his pillow eyeing him with concern showing in their expressive eyes but they stayed where they were, likely due to Veeth insisting they give him a bit of space for the moment.



Re: Broken Realisations [V'ler] - V'ra - 09.Jun.14

Indivara’s eyes fluttered open slowly as V’ler’s voice broke the silence between them, and the oppressive feel of the room itself. She blinked, attempting to clear away the tears that were still fighting for freedom. Her head tilted slightly, a wordless prompt for V’ler to continue down whatever trail he was currently wandering. As she focused on releasing the death grip she had on the front of his shirt, while vividly aware of his hands trailing down her side, she was belated in realising he was waiting for her to move her legs. Indivara pursed her lips in irritation as she did so, curling them up either side of his body as she resettled herself.

Her right hand lifted to brush her hair back behind her ear, the waist long strands free of any restraints, causing them to fall over her face as she looked down at V’ler, half listening to him speak, half lost in her own thoughts. Jada had been the only person Indivara confided in, the fear that whatever Weyrlingmaster she got would demand she cut off her hair; it was the only part of her physical self she was proud of, and the thought of having to lose it horrified the girl. She had been thankful, and relieved, when Jada had been just as horrified by the idea and sworn to do what she could to make sure it did not happen. Both women were aware Jada did not have the power she wished she did, but the words alone helped. Krypth had promised to put up a stink, too, and Indivara had laughed.

Laughing seemed so impossible now, though, as Indivara sniffled, brushing her hands over V’ler’s chest to smooth his shirt before lowering herself quietly, cuddling close and tucking her head under his chin as he continued speaking in third person. Hushing her own thoughts, largely with the assistance of Venseth, Indivara focused on the soothing familiarity of V’ler’s voice, her fingers playing lightly over his collarbone in an unconscious copy of his touch on her thighs. She breathed a shaky sigh into the silence that came after his last words, when she realised he was not going to continue further.

Lifting herself up carefully, her weight balanced delicately on her forearm, which was propped across the width of V’ler’s chest, Indivara looked at the two firelizards more than their bonded. “I’m glad you were brought here.” Filled with honest sincerity, Indivara’s voice was a soft whisper; shifting her gaze back to V’ler’s face, her expression was oddly soft. “Both of you,” she added. Indivara knew her friendship with both had started rocky, to say the least; she had always been wilful and wild and she had hated every Northerner that had set foot in Katila. She had hated them for being allowed (made) to stand, and she hated them for Impressing. She hated them more for not wanting to Impress a dragon.

She had hated their Faranth be fucked teachings, too, and she had quite told Jada that. Indivara had no idea how her being perhaps the other girl’s worse student had somehow morphed into a steady friendship, but it had. Her love of learning had, perhaps, been fundamental in that but a true friend Jada had become and Indivara could feel the loss settling around her all over again. Indivara had only ever had one female friend, and now she was gone, taking all the promises she had made, and dreams she had shared, with her.



Re: Broken Realisations [V'ler] - V'ler - 09.Jun.14

“Me too,” V’ler agreed as he reached up to gently guide Indivara into curling back up against him again. Luckily she hadn’t decided to dig her elbow into his chest but it still wasn’t entirely comfortable, especially with the way he was taking deep breaths to keep himself calm and not breaking down in a sobbing mess again. Unlike nearly every other person that had been brought to Katila in less than proper ways, V’ler actually was glad to be there and was from nearly the beginning. He loved being a Harper but it held a lot of aspects he didn’t enjoy since his elders had dictated that he would focus on teaching rather than anything more creative and dealing less with children. Katila had given him a chance to see a real dragon and even managed to bond him to one. V’ler certainly could never regret anything or wish he hadn’t been brought South. Not even Jada’s death could make him change his mind. Before finding her again, he had believed she had died or ran away with someone in the best case scenario. Katila had given him a chance to reconnect and make a friend out of the little sister that always tagged along.

“I’ve met some interesting people here,” he continued absently as his wandering hand found a strand of soft hair and started toying with it, letting it slide through his fingers only to be picked up and the process repeated. A’dris had been kidnapped the same time as him and a friendship of sorts had been created but the stoic man had also been the one to truly wake V’ler up to the possibility of liking men. E’si and T’lian had become friends and lovers as well and then there was B’jin. The man was fun to pick on but he took up the role as mentor as well and V’ler appreciated him. Even Indivara made his free time interesting. They argued a lot, especially early on, but a friendship and respect for each other emerged over time and V’ler wondered what life would have been like if he hadn’t chosen to help Indivara that night. He imagined he would have had a lot more bed space and a lot less glaring from a twin if nothing else.

“She was happy as well,” V’ler managed to whisper the statement but saying Jada’s name was too hard still and would have invited too many tears to deal with right then. But he knew Jada was happy, both in the very end with her smile and look of peace as she passed on and in general. Life at Katila had been a bit difficult for her at first, she once confided, but she adapted and settled right in. It had been good for both of them, bringing them out of their comfort zones and finding out more about themselves.

His hands stilled, finally letting go of the need to fidget and V’ler wrapped his arms around the petite girl. He had spoken a lot more than he thought he would have and silence suddenly seemed inviting. It was hard to tell if they had helped each other at all but he supposed he wasn’t really expecting a quick fix either. It took time to heal physically and it would have been foolish to think emotions could bounce back quickly. It did help knowing there was someone else who understood what he was going through, though, and V’ler realised he didn’t want to let Indivara leave, which was likely why he held her close and possibly a bit tighter than he normally would have. He thought to comfort the girl but it currently looked like Indivara’s presence was assisting him.



Re: Broken Realisations [V'ler] - V'ra - 09.Jun.14

“M’glad,” Indivara hummed, agreeably settling back down to cuddle up to V’ler as he prompted her along. Tired blue eyes watched as his fingers played through a lock of her hair, content to listen as he spoke in broken little sentences. “I know,” Indivara whispered in return, burying her face in the crook of his neck as he held her tighter; even when she had been outright furious, Jada had always been happy to be at Katila and Indivara could not imagine anyone arguing that fact. She had loved her life, and she had loved her dragon, even if Indivara knew she had wanted more. Jada had wanted equality within the population that had had her mocked and laughed at, even by Indivara herself. No one would ever take women seriously, and the more they expected to be taken seriously, the more Indivara had seen them treated less so.

That had not stopped Jada, any more than it had stopped Indivara declaring right up until she actually Impressed that someday she’d have a bronze, and together they’d right the wrongs that had been dealt upon not only themselves, but the world in general. Indivara had known it would never happen; girls did not Impress bronze – not even law breaking, wild child girls like herself. It just wasn’t the way of things, and Indivara knew she would have a rough time ahead just bonded to a blue; to be that type of outcast, that was a terrifying thought and she was glad all the more for Venseth.

As her thoughts drifted into more normal areas, that didn’t revolve around the pain and loss of Jada, Indivara relaxed and drew in a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then expelled it very slowly and controlled, her eyes wide. She had always known V’ler did not stink; that was a given or she would have abandoned his bed long before she ever fell into it. Or possibly broken his nose when his smelly self made off with her after Veeth lost that fateful flight. She had never, however, actively enjoyed the way he smelt.

Is that bad? Venseth asked innocently, trying to keep V’ler out, but whether or not he actually achieved that was debatable. They were still learning to focus their thoughts directly and Venseth was not naturally inclined to being overly quiet and with the two together so often, Venseth was more in a habit of including the other rider for ease of conversation. I guess not, Indivara returned, watching as her fingers played over the stitching of his shirt, her touch light and dancing.

You should tell him then! The dragonet’s innocent delight in that idea was definitely not private, but his joy pushed Indivara to laugh softly, letting her young dragon’s joy in the simple things buoy her mood for as long as it would allow. She shook her head wordlessly against V’ler’s chest, before tilting her head up, though all she could see was a bottom view of his chin and his cheek. “You smell good,” Indivara purred softly, her voice managing not to bely the embarrassed colouring on her face, which she ducked back down to tuck under his chin again.

Yay! Venseth chripped happily to himself and gave Veeth a smug look.


Re: Broken Realisations [V'ler] - V'ler - 09.Jun.14

Having Venseth in his head never bothered V’ler – or Veeth as he found the younger blue fun to be with – and it was almost such a common occurrence that it never shocked him when a random comment came his way. He had no idea what the conversation was between rider and dragon and actually had to think on Venseth’s question for several seconds since it hadn’t been as clear as usual. V’ler wasn’t sure if that was because his mental state was a bit all over the place or if Venseth was trying to direct his replies to only the proper person. In the end, he chalked it up to a bit of both but still didn’t know what was or wasn’t bad. The delighted statement that soon followed only added to the confusion but V’ler held off on questioning either weyrling. Sometimes it was better not to know.

However, it seemed he was destined to know as a soft laugh and completely out of nowhere comment came from Indivara before she settled back down against him. V’ler blinked at the top of her head and then finally laughed in return. Laughter, even when in a horrible mood, always seemed contagious, even to him and V’ler knew he needed it. “Thanks?” He was still confused by the compliment and tried to work out why he smelled good. It had been several days since he last oiled Veeth so he didn’t think he smelled of lavender anymore. If anything, it was generic soap smell combined with his own natural scent. Whatever it was, he supposed he could live with knowing it wasn’t horrible.

Veeth chirped in amusement and didn’t notice Venseth’s smug look. He liked Indivara; she was always fun and even sometimes managed to throw V’ler a bit off kilter before he bounced back and they started verbal sparring. It was good to see a moment of happiness again and Veeth did his best to enjoy the sensation as well. Krypth had been a clutchmate but also a friend and he felt her loss like V’ler with Jada but he wasn’t the type to stay miserable for too long and liked to look at the positive things when they reappeared.

“Venseth, are you fine with Vara staying here tonight? Veeth wouldn’t mind some cuddles either,” V’ler didn’t bother going through Indivara with his question since he was aware the dragonet was already listening in. He suspected Indivara would want to stay the night as much as V’ler realised he wanted her to stay as well but it was hard to gauge what a dragonet was okay with and he wasn’t about to upset Venseth after everything else. “I promise to take good care of her for you.”



Re: Broken Realisations [V'ler] - V'ra - 09.Jun.14

Where else would she sleep? She's much too girly to sleep in the dirt with me. The suffering dramatics was uncalled for and Indivara frowned, but she didn't contest the truth of Venseth's words. She hated being dirty, a fact displayed to anyone that bothered to take even a mild note of her daily life, which included at least one (and usually more) trips to the baths. If she wasn't clean, she wasn't happy, and while she could handle getting and being dirty for the duration of a job, she wasn't about to sleep outside with Venseth, either.

Venseth moved to curl up against Veeth, looking at the other blue with confusion before turning his attention back to the two humans. Of course. Indivara is always safe with you. it was stated as the hard truth Venseth knew it as; as long as he had known Indivara (all of three months, and counting!) the girl's immediate source of security was V'ler, even if she'd never consciously acknowledged that fact. Venseth doubted she had, considering the confusion that was coming off her now.

Indivara shifted a little against V'ler, confused by Venseth's confident announcement. She realized the truth in the words, as soon as the young blue had spoken them, but was more confused by his picking them up and making sense of them. Indivara had teased V'ler that his bed was safe, after that awful Hatching, but she'd always considered it to be a playful way of getting what she wanted. Which was something else she'd avoided thinking about; she had never tried to figure out why it was V'ler that she turned to and she knew both Ryvian and Jada had been put out for their own reasons that she'd taken to sleeping with him - and though she also knew they thought more occurred than sleeping, she'd never bothered to correct that assumption, either.

Indivara was more surprised her weyrlingmaster hadn't put a stop to it and demanded she move back into her little room next to Ryvian. She supposed that since V'ler was one of B'jin's pet assistants and Venseth had yet to so much as make an unhappy snort about the situation, there was nothing to get upset about.

Why would I get upset? The confused blue asked, cuddled up against Veeth happily. Getting upset over Indivara being happy seemed very counterproductive to him! He makes you happy. When you're happy, you think less, and then I get less headaches! his tone shifted from serious to clearly teasing and he chirped happily to himself, quite pleased. Indivara shook her head slightly, wondering if she was more amused or embarressed.


Re: Broken Realisations [V'ler] - V'ler - 09.Jun.14

V’ler gave another one of his rare laughs at Venseth’s replies that bordered somewhere between jovial and serious. The dragonet had a way of speaking that could be appreciated with the way he stated facts as if they were obvious but had such a tone to his voice that it was almost hard to know if he was joking. “Very true and if she sleeps in the dirt, she won’t be allowed in this bed again for a while.” V’ler wasn’t as obsessive about bathing as Indivara was but he still maintained a regiment of cleanliness that had him scrubbing down once a day, usually before bed. There wasn’t anything enjoyable about knowing bedding was being sullied and would need to be washed sooner than needed because of laziness.

Whether or not he really made Indivara happy was something he’d save for later to think about. He doubted it and figured it was more an innocent dragonet’s wording than a proper statement of fact. If anything, V’ler figured he made Indivara forget her problems and the woes of the Weyr for a time and that was enough to lighten her mood and made Venseth’s headaches recede. “How did we end up with the blue dragons that like to cuddle?” Veeth’s contentment at Venseth curling up with him coming through their bond warmed V’ler and distracted him away even more from the thoughts, confusion, and pain that plagued him. It was nice having a dragon for that reason. Veeth balanced him, even when he wasn’t trying, and helped him see the light in the dark and remind him that everything would be okay and carry on, even if it took a little time to feel normal again.

He still had his legs hanging over the edge of the bed from the way he had been sitting before lying down. There was a strong desire to shift Indivara around with him so they could lie properly on the bed but there was one major problem. “My boots are still on,” V’ler pointed out with an almost audible pout to his words. He really didn’t want to settle in for the night with footwear still in place but it seemed like far too much of a task right then to untangle from Indivara, unlace his boots, and finally kick them off. So much energy had gone into mourning with every tear that slid down his cheek utterly draining him. Maybe this once he’d make an exception to the rule of sleeping while not properly prepared for it.

With a long sigh, V’ler finally made a decision and slowly worked to free himself from Indivara. “Rescue the pillow from them,” he waved to his two blue firelizards with similar markings. They came from the same clutch and V’ler had found it fascinating that their hides matured into patterns that were like mirror images of each other. “I’ll fight with my boots.” He had a feeling the boots would put up a good fight but he was determined; there was a comfortable bed to properly curl up in, blankets to hide under, and someone he considered a friend waiting to do both with him.



Re: Broken Realisations [V'ler] - V'ra - 15.Jun.14

Indivara rolled her eyes, but made no effort to voice a comeback to V'ler's little quip. They both knew his ability to keep her out of his bed was less than stellar and Indivara had no desire to start seeking out somewhere else to home up every night. Besides, V'ler was a comfortable pillow.

A wry smile formed on Indivara's lips at what she assumed was mostly a rhetorical question. She didn't bother to try and form a reply; coming up with a suitable quip was currently far outside Indivara's available energy limits. It was far easier to just roll her eyes toward the ceiling and puff out an exasperated sigh as her wispy fringe fluttered before settling in the most irritating way possible. Indivara brushed the hair aside and then laughed.

"Poor bay-bey," Indivara crooned, stringing the second word out with as much insult as she could, though laughter was hidden in the timbre of her voice. She smirked, and snuggled closer in a move designed to be as passively annoying as possible before allowing V'ler to more or less completely manhandle her out of the way. Still smirking to herself, Indivara carefully lifted the two Firelizards from their claimed spot, and shifted them to the end of the not-big-enough bed.

Turning around as she settled herself comfortably, Indivara watched V'ler fight with his boots in silence. She herself had stripped out of her daily clothes when she had stumbled in, numb from the shock, all those hours ago. Dressed simply in one of V'ler's shirts - notably one she favoured and had stolen what felt like forever ago - Indivara was not plagued with the need to remove boots, socks or pants.

Leaning forward a little, Indivara brushed her fingers lightly over V'ler's back as he finished the Battle of the Boots, inviting him back (into his own bed; Venseth snorted) to lay down so she could once more cuddle up close, worming her way against his side and placing her head on his chest. The sound of both his breathing, and his heart beating, were calming and familiar.

Unfortunately, the gentle invitation for sleep came hand in hand with memories, of that days tragedy and of those days that seemed so very long ago. Indivara breathed out slowly, a deep and controlled expel that did little to tempter the sudden and overwhelming heartache. Never again would she curl up with Jada and listen to her gossip, to sprawl on Krypth like she belonged there. Indivara's lip trembled for a moment before she lost that battle, the tears finding freedom as she turned her face into V'ler's chest and silently cried herself to sleep.

Outside, Venseth cuddled sadly against Veeth, and only let Indivara's two Firelizards join V'ler's when they promised in their lizard way to keep to the foot of the bed, and not wake the humans.