The Recovery Process [Lymsleia]

Talian woke himself with coughing. He let out a raspy half-whimper as he jolted to consciousness, his throat on fire and his abdomen aching terribly. It took him a moment to realize where he was.

Oh yes. Alive.

On his second day on Pern, he woke alone. B'jin wasn't there with him this time, though Tal completely understood why. B'jin deserved some alone time after that mess, and Tal expected nothing else from him. Val and Eri were supposed to be watching after him in shifts, but neither had arrived yet. The sun was barely starting to rise in the sky and neither struck Tal as a morning person, so doubtless they just hadn't arrived yet.

He was fine with that. He didn't feel particularly emotionally fragile and considered himself no risk for relapse, but that was a self-diagnosis. He didn't blame the others for worrying and he would love their company. He felt tranquil but uncertain; he had nothing ahead of him to speak of, aside from life itself. He was alive. Alive. His problems weren't gone, but his desire to deal with them through suicide was.

What to do now? Especially while bedridden?

He wanted badly to clear his throat, but it hurt enough as it was. It would be nice to have some medicine, but he figured that was a distant prospect, so he closed his eyes and tried to think bout something else.

---

I figure Lym can come in and ask about what happened, or maybe even bring him medicine. Whatever you think works

Kerthunk. Lymsleia opened the door. She hadn't cared if Talian was awake, she hadn't cared if he was naked. Hell she didn't care if he was mid-session with someone.  She simple stroded in. He'd been hurt, and as far as her ears had told her. He'd had an episode. She knew it was bad. But she was going to see if she could post hist spirits. "Tal?" she kept her voice low as she opened the door.

In her her hand was a bowl, and in slung of her shoulder her medicine bag. "Up for some food?" she tried to keep a pleasant tone. Talian had cracked, her first thought was perhaps to sedate him if he proved unruley. But By all accounts much of the danger had happened in those first few hours or days.  Tal had been delicate. She knew that. Tal'd been depressed the first time she met him.

But would this extreme meloncholia spread to the others, most didn't want to be here.

"I brought you some food, and some games, if you want to play. "

---

Does Pern have Chess/Checkers?[/hr]

Tal jumped slightly at Lym's unexpected appearance, accompanied of course by her voice. He opened hi eyes and looked towards the door with a weary smile. "Hey Lym," he said. "I missed you yesterday."

He had missed her yesterday. She never showed up to see him, though he imagined Erisi and Valerian had something to do with that. He didn't know about Val, but he knew Erisi rubbed the girl the wrong way. Assuming she'd heard the news at all, that would be an acceptable reason for her to stay away.

Maybe she'd just wanted to give Tal breathing room. Either way, she was obviously aware of what happened now. He groaned a bit as he shifted in bed, rolling onto his side rather than trying tp sit up. He technically could, but it was painful and difficult. It was better to rest.

He certainly looked delicate. He was thin and pallid, and his weight loss and lack of sleep were showing. Maybe it was just the state of being bedridden and somewhat broken spirited that made him look so small. He'd professed happiness to B'jin and his other friends, and it was true; he was happy to be alive. He was still a loser, though.  Katila had defeated him, and at the moment, he looked a bit battle-weary.

"Food would be great," he said. His voice was hoarse. He eyed the games she'd brought. "And Ii do, actually. I haven't stretched my brain in ages...I'm warning you though, I never lose."

---

They have an equivalent, I believe

Watching Tal moving liked a started feline brought a small smile to her face. He was a aware, and he spoke to her- that was a good sign. A solid sign. She frowned Erisi had been quiet and at least to her -less surly and annoying at that had been her clue. He'd not jabbed poked or attack her verbally and to her Talian and Ersi were close. Something had to be wrong.

"sorry about that, when I heard you were ill, I got a bit worried, doing better?" she approached and  set a small covered pot down on the closest flat surface. "Don't try and move. I bought you some soup, and a dish I made last night, noodles, meat, sauce, vegetables and cheese! You do have a milk tolerance right?" she questioned trying to make light of a situation.

"You don't loose huh?" she asksed setting hte board game up and on the bed for him to be able to reach. "Eat first, and then we play. I'd rather not hear that growling... during play."

A serene smile crossed his face. "I'm glad you came," he said. He eyed the food appreciatively. His brush with death had reminded him of the poor state his body was in. Were he healthy and eating properly, he'd be recovering faster.  It was a wonder his weight loss hadn't haunted him more during the event itself. The extra weight could have been the difference between life and death.

Now that he was mostly out of his slump, he was starting to realize just how undernourished he was. Everything edible looked amazing!

He started into the food without hesitation. "This is good," he said, eyeing Lym and casting her a mellow smile. He was in much better spirits than usual, though there was something indescribably subdued about him.

He didn't say anything else for a while as he finished his food. He'd never been exceptionally talkative, especially not just for the sake of talking. At that moment, he was content to enjoy the silence with a friend.

"...Thank you for not being judgmental towards me," he said at length, tone slightly tense and perhaps even inquiring. If she somehow didn't know, she would now. He'd gotten enough of an earful out of everyone else, he didn't want to hear it all again. He shifted his position just slightly and nodded to the game. "...Would you still like to play?"

For a long moment, Lymsleia studdied Talian. It was a study of his face mostly, she looked at him long and hard, accessing things with a healer's gaze. He was so thin, and sick. How'd she miss that he was loosing the weight? How had she missed that he was loosing muscle mass.  She set the game board between them, as if it were a barriear and begin to set the peices.

"Excited for those Eggs?" she asked as she ran her finger around a particularly carved peice. All of the peices were hand carved she relealized. Rubbed smooth with an abraisive, perhaps sand or a harder stone, and then sealed with tree resin. The color of the resin had seeped into the peices turning them from wood-pale brown to a richer mohagany.

She managed to distract herseld from his appaerance and the game peices enough to fetch a bowl for him. "Soup, and some deliciously freshed baked biscuts." she told him. By the First Egg, how her heart hurt to realize, Talian might be too fragile to be with them on the sands when the time came. His break down, his decline, the old words of warning played in her head. The elders had said that someone who was unwell in mind or body would be allowd out on the sands.

She shook her head as Talian told her something. "Judgemental? Tal, what would I be like that? You needed space, you need to breath. We all have our melting point. Some people are ice, and they melt, others are water and they turn to steam. Its hard enough for all of us, you're fine. You're safe, and alive. That is what matters." she said reaching for his hand. "You are alive, and whole..." she paused at that as she said it aloud. Was he really whole? She couldn't tell? "Yes I want to play, umm Tal, I heard from one you hoarded most of the books on dragons. Can I have... one.. I want to start reading... I am going to see if I can ask the Weyrleadership for an egg- if one doesn't hatch. We can open it and.. disect the dragon in it." she swallowed. "If their mother allows it. I don't know what they would normally do with unhatched eggs, do you?"

Tal picked yup the first piece, looking at it with distant scrutiny.  Tal had no mind for art, but he certainly appreciated it. Shards, he envied those who had enough creative spirit in them to produce such works. He smiled softly as he spun the piece around in his hand, admiring the craftsmanship. He didn't reply to Lym's question about the eggs; her voice was distant, unable to penetrate his pensive daydreaming, though he was aware of her question.

Maybe he just didn't want to think about eggs.

He looked back at her, smiling a little bit as he placed the game piece down on the board and casually slid it forward, making his first move. He'd not been using his brain much since he arrived at Katila. It would be nice to get it whipped back into shape. "Thank you, Lym," he said softly, referring to her kind words. He waited patiently for her move as he considered her question. "Of course you can borrow them. I have them in a box underneath my desk. I-..." He paused and frowned. His knots were still in there, laying in a pool of blood.

"I would appreciate it if you could get my knots out of there for me, actually," he said modestly. He hated to ask anything of her, she'd already gone out of her way for him! "As for the dissection....I don't know, really. I suppose it's up to the mother dragon," he said.

He frowned, his thoughts drifting back to that first question. "I'm not standing, Lym," he said simply, without emotion.

Lymsleia moved her peice carefully contimplating the movement. There only certain movements she could make. She fell into silence, and realized her discuss of eggs was callus- he'd chosen, or perhaps had veen forced not to stand. And for a moment it resonated with her. It reminded her he  would be watching from the sidelines.

She finally put he peice down decisively, "Did I do that right?" she asked. She nodded about the knots. "Its not a problem and I'll fetch those books  when I get spare moment. I found a few scraps, but that was all, just a few- that you hadn't pillerfered. They were all general." she wrinkled her nose. "I'll stop by with them... later."

"And is your move?" she breathed quietly. "So, do you want to do something different now that you're not a bound to being a MAster? You could take up what ever strikes your fance. Painting, art, learning to use a sling... and rocks."

Tal shrugged idly as he eyed the game board, already calculating his future moves and trying to anticipate hers. "I appreciate that," he said cooly, his eyes focused hard on the pieces but his voice gentle. "I'm sorry to have hoarded them like I did, I didn't think anyone else would be interested. I've finished most of them though, and well...."

He slid a piece forward.

"...It's mostly academic curiosity. You're welcome to the dragonhealing...I still find the things revolting." He wrinkled his nose a bit, but his words lacked any real punch. He was too tried, his throat too raspy and his abdomen too sore...and perhaps just a little tiny bit too thankful to Larrikith to really wish death on them. Horrid things.

He smiled a little, his moment of distaste quickly passing, before looking back at Lym. "I'm not worried about missing the hatching," he said. He suspected she had it on her mind, though perhaps he was wrong. "But, well...a Master is really all I want to be. I've been a healer all my life, it's the only thing I really love doing...if I were to be a dragonrider...I would have that taken away from me, too."

She moved the peices slowly. Talian was good. Really good. She stood after a few more moves and stretched. " Talian, what are you going to do though? After this... your... ability to be a healer.. could come into question." she tried to keep her voice low. But she was thinking about how others might view it. "A Master healer who had a breakdown? Admitedly we're not in a the Hall setting any more.. but how might it be perceived?"

She reached out for his hand. "I'll be there for you and thanks I'd like the books. I need to keep myself busy. I feel useless. I am dealing these days with a lot of pregant women and if I have to look at one more... vagina.." she growls... but the growling was playful. "Sorry, I've spent that past few days doing a lot of checking, and despensing herbs with a careful hand and eye. I am drained." She slumped into a chair.

"I guess I was worried, about this, you've been a healer all your life--- and I guess I am thinking more like a hall-girl. A man who is a Master and breaks down- like you did. I would think they'd be calling for a true evulation. I know your fine."

He drew up a bit at Lymsleia's words. Without realizing it, he broke out into an unregulated scowl and slid a piece forward. He bristled visibly without trying to let on how angry he was at the very implication; yes, anger, the rarest emotion for Talian to express.

"That's probably the most offensive thing anyone has ever said to me," he said in a deceptively and even frightfully even tone, sounding utterly indifferent and robotic. He eyed her for a moment, but quickly tore his gaze away. Never in his life had anyone suggested he may not be fit to be a healer. "This place has no accreditation, it has no right to take my title away from me. That's....all I have left."

He slid another piece.

"I don't care about art and music and all those wherry teeth," he said callously. "That's all...just a big waste of time." He knew, on some level, that he wasn't the one talking...it was his father.

He just scowled some more. "This is all I'm good for. It's all I want to do. If these people try and take this away from me as well...Well, good sharding luck to them finding someone good enough to replace me," he sighed. He wasn't exactly being arrogant, but he was - for once - acknowledging his value.