19.Dec.18, 05:33 AM
Madiquel waved cheerfully to the other weyrlings and trotted to keep up with A’tay’s longer strides. “Why wouldn’t they like you?” Madiquel asked, blinking up at her friend with a slight frown. “You’re amazing!” But she did consider the reasoning A’tay added, and she scrunched her nose up slightly. “But you’re probably not wrong, either,” she added, tugging on A’tay’s had a little so he slowed down for a moment and she could keep up more easily. “Green and blueriders have it really tough, and I know Papa used to have a few that would come to him when they needed someone higher up they could trust.”
She’d probably listened in to one too many of her Papa’s delusional rants, but she’d also been spending a lot of time in the Weyr’s healer rooms doing easy tasks, and she’d seen more than a few greenriders and the handful of blueriders come in for medical help after a run in with someone who thought they were better than whomever they’d beaten up. Madiquel squeezed A’tay’s hand. “Just be careful who you help,” she said honestly, and likely with more insight than most of her male friends would credit her with. Not because they thought she was dumb, but because she wasn’t supposed to know the things she knew, because they went out of their way to protect her.
Madiquel gave a squeal of surprise, which ended in laughter, when A’tay suddenly pulled her into a run and she struggled to keep her feet – and then keep up – with her long legged friend. Still laughing, Madiquel crashed into A’tay when he stopped, and she hugged her arms around her friend, laughing at him before she stepped around to look where he was pointing, and her eyes widened as she stared at what was clearly Xyxyth. “Oh… my…”
Dropping A’tay’s hand, Madiquel moved quietly towards the growing bronze dragon, her eyes wide and face awestruck. Granted, there was a part of Madiquel that knew the dragon before her was so far removed from being Denath that her reaction was probably ridiculous, but in that moment, everything about Xyxyth reminded her of her father’s bronze dragon, and Madiquel wasn’t aware of the tears tumbling down her cheeks until she pressed her face against the side of Xyxyth’s cheek, sobbing softly. It took her several moments before she managed to compose herself, drawing back carefully and wiping at her face with the backs of her hands.
“You’re beautiful,” Madiquel said gently, smiling softly at the dragon before glancing over at A’tay and taking the couple of steps to close the distance between them, so she could take his hand again and mould herself against his side, still looking at Xyxyth. “You’ve grown so much!” She said, her cheerful nature coming back easily as she smiled at the bronze, and turned to smile playfully up at A’tay. “You both have!” She flushed, and looked down with a scrunched up nose. “I, um, didn’t recognise you,” she admitted quietly, shifting uncomfortably and somewhat ashamed of herself. How could she ever not recognise her best friend? Not recognise Ayontay?
“I miss not seeing you more often,” she said, taking a deep breath and looking up, “and its going to get worse, before it gets better, because…” Madiquel took another deep breath, and her good news suddenly felt heavy in her belly as she peered up at A’tay with furrowed eyebrows. “Re—R’nya got me into the Healer Hall, and I start my apprenticeship in the new Turn, and I’m really excited,” she said earnestly, “and I know Papa can just ride a horse down, and I know you will graduate, and I know Rhae will take me anywhere if I want to go…” She broke off, and dropped A’tay’s hand so she could hug herself, looking down at her feet, “but I’m scared.”
She’d probably listened in to one too many of her Papa’s delusional rants, but she’d also been spending a lot of time in the Weyr’s healer rooms doing easy tasks, and she’d seen more than a few greenriders and the handful of blueriders come in for medical help after a run in with someone who thought they were better than whomever they’d beaten up. Madiquel squeezed A’tay’s hand. “Just be careful who you help,” she said honestly, and likely with more insight than most of her male friends would credit her with. Not because they thought she was dumb, but because she wasn’t supposed to know the things she knew, because they went out of their way to protect her.
Madiquel gave a squeal of surprise, which ended in laughter, when A’tay suddenly pulled her into a run and she struggled to keep her feet – and then keep up – with her long legged friend. Still laughing, Madiquel crashed into A’tay when he stopped, and she hugged her arms around her friend, laughing at him before she stepped around to look where he was pointing, and her eyes widened as she stared at what was clearly Xyxyth. “Oh… my…”
Dropping A’tay’s hand, Madiquel moved quietly towards the growing bronze dragon, her eyes wide and face awestruck. Granted, there was a part of Madiquel that knew the dragon before her was so far removed from being Denath that her reaction was probably ridiculous, but in that moment, everything about Xyxyth reminded her of her father’s bronze dragon, and Madiquel wasn’t aware of the tears tumbling down her cheeks until she pressed her face against the side of Xyxyth’s cheek, sobbing softly. It took her several moments before she managed to compose herself, drawing back carefully and wiping at her face with the backs of her hands.
“You’re beautiful,” Madiquel said gently, smiling softly at the dragon before glancing over at A’tay and taking the couple of steps to close the distance between them, so she could take his hand again and mould herself against his side, still looking at Xyxyth. “You’ve grown so much!” She said, her cheerful nature coming back easily as she smiled at the bronze, and turned to smile playfully up at A’tay. “You both have!” She flushed, and looked down with a scrunched up nose. “I, um, didn’t recognise you,” she admitted quietly, shifting uncomfortably and somewhat ashamed of herself. How could she ever not recognise her best friend? Not recognise Ayontay?
“I miss not seeing you more often,” she said, taking a deep breath and looking up, “and its going to get worse, before it gets better, because…” Madiquel took another deep breath, and her good news suddenly felt heavy in her belly as she peered up at A’tay with furrowed eyebrows. “Re—R’nya got me into the Healer Hall, and I start my apprenticeship in the new Turn, and I’m really excited,” she said earnestly, “and I know Papa can just ride a horse down, and I know you will graduate, and I know Rhae will take me anywhere if I want to go…” She broke off, and dropped A’tay’s hand so she could hug herself, looking down at her feet, “but I’m scared.”