World of Pern
[G] [P] 742.05.08 | Cracks in the Façade - Printable Version

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742.05.08 | Cracks in the Façade - Helyna - 09.May.21

Everything had been so stressful lately. But Vondal was on the mend, Vondlyn was safe, and N’mor seemed to be rising to the occasion with his promotion.

And then Mahjory and N’tir had been killed and that healer attacked. Some days it had her wanting to just run away from it all, but where would she possibly go--back to the Hall? To the Southern Continent? That was crazy. Besides, Iliyith was close to clutching and there were too many responsibilities to ignore. No one needed to know she was screaming on the inside as long as everything else ran smoothly and with a smile.

Tala had visited after Vondal was poisoned, and she’d brought news later about Cazan, but hadn’t been able to drop by recently. With Helyna weyrbound because of Iliyith’s impending clutch, and Tala busy with her own duties, she’d hardly had a chance to see her partner in weeks. Not for the first time she found herself somewhat jealous of N’mor and Z’rin; they’d been together at Ista, and moved together when Benden opened, seemingly without any argument at all. But it wouldn’t have been fair to ask Tala to give up her position at Telgar without the guarantee of another, and if she was truly honest with herself, Helyna had been afraid to even ask.

So instead they wrote to each other any chance they could get. Updates about friends or gossip, stories about Tala’s classes, anything to take their minds off the sadness which seemed to seep through the walls of the Weyrs.

You’re being maudlin, Helyna. The gold pulled her out of her thoughts suddenly. And if I am? We’re alone, my darling. Vondlyn’s with his father tonight and Dally’s off somewhere, hopefully having a far better evening than I am. No one’s around to see if I have a little too much wine and mope. Which scared her a bit. Perhaps she should have invited Elloren up for some spinning; they’d patched things up since the embarrassment of that crude and mysterious note. But she’d still feel like she had to put on a smile for her friend and the thought was exhausting.

If you’re not in the mood for company, I’ll just tell Niath to take Tala home, then, Iliyith said tartly, fed up with her rider’s attitude. Helyna dropped her work and pushed back hurriedly from the desk, not noticing the wine spilling over the formerly pristine white cloth. She ran to the weyr ledge and pulled Tala into a tight embrace the moment she’d dismounted. “Please don’t tell me someone else is hurt; I can’t bear it,” the words were muffled into Tala’s neck, then Helyna pulled back to scan her face anxiously.