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+--- Thread: [G] [O] [EVENT] 744.09.14 | Learning the Hard Way (/showthread.php?tid=5415)
744.09.14 | Learning the Hard Way - Faeli - 14.Sep.23
Faeli sat on the edge of the cot with her head between her knees. She had sat up too fast and her spinning head and upset stomach demanded compensation. Ulliendis of all people sat beside her rubbing her back as he babbled on about some such thing or another. She didn't know or care, having tuned him out shortly after the mortification of an attractive man tending to her after fainting at the sight of blood. The only plus was that she hadn't vomited first before face planting into the hard ground. Instead she came back to consciousness in her still-clean clothes but with a queasy stomach and throbbing headache with her fellow Candidate smiling brightly at her. Normally she enjoyed that smile but in that moment, she had wanted it to be pointed at anyone but her and possibly in another Weyr entirely.
Why had she decided she was a more hands on learner after the books bored her to death? Bless M'quel for trying to make it interesting but they both knew Faeli struggled with reading to begin with and the terms healers used were too complicated to stick in her head. There were so many words and definitions and skills to learn! It would have been hopeless if they stayed on the traditional book path so Faeli went and pestered her Weyr's Healers until one agreed to let her shadow him for a day. Bastard likely knew it would end this way. She was surprised he didn't have pillows lining the floor after she confessed she wasn't a fan of blood as a kid but she had surely outgrown that by now.
She was so stupid but she had tried so hard! She even did her best to look the part by wearing her hair up in a tight bun and kept all of her jewellery in their box. As she fingered her bare wrist, she wished she had worn her trademark bracelets and necklaces so she had something to fiddle with or listen to their calming clinking and jingling. Ulliendis still had his assortment of jewellery on and his annoying yet soothing circles on her back did cause a few bracelets to rustle against each other so it wasn't entirely horrible. Except he was still talking, some story about a friend back at Harper Hall that had tried to date an Apprentice at Healer Hall and walked in on the group practicing their stitches and how he had also fainted and hit his head hard enough to-- "Not helping, Ulli."
What would help was her own bed and being away from the scene of the embarrassment. At least the Healer and patient weren't anywhere in sight. She attempted to stand and Ulliendis was right there assisting her, which was sweet of him, but she wanted to prove to both of them that she was fine and gave him a bright smile. "Thanks, Ulli, but I should be able to manage the walk back to the barracks on my own." She kissed his cheek when he relented, though Faeli could tell the man wasn't entirely convinced. Still, he let her go and he wandered off in the opposite direction to an office.
One foot in front of the other, just like any other day and time. Simple! Except that it wasn't and as soon as she was outside in the bright light, Faeli faltered and leaned against the wall to steady herself as the world spun again.