[G] [P] 734.09.01 | Disrupted peace

Faranath only knew how tired he was and yawning every five minutes or so only helped to remind him of his lack of sleep. He'd been up all night helping one of the animals give birth to a breach baby without having to sacrifice the mother or her offspring. It took hours. By the time he and one of the other Beastcrafters had gotten the two warm and asleep dawn had been just an hour away, leaving Firah little time to bathe, change and catch an hour or two of sleep before having to get up and start the day. Once all the other animals were fed and cared for he immediately wondered back to the Weyrfolk complex to nap. Unfortunately for him his body thought a half hour nap was good enough and forced him awake despite his exhaustion. Which was how he had found his way here, sitting against a tree outside of the complex with a wooden puzzle in hand and a small pouch of dried meat next to his leg, of which he was idly chewing on.

It was just one of those days. Maybe if he was lucky he could trick his body into a nap if he sat there long enough. Then again by the time he succeeded in falling asleep he'd probably just have to wake up again to check on the animals and clear the forest around them of predators who want an easy meal. With a small groan Firah shifted his body slightly, crossing his legs at the ankles and sliding a little lower to the ground against the tree. Looking down at the puzzle with a slight frown the Beastcrafter started on trying to solve it. While he prided himself in his ability to do the more advanced maths he had trouble solving tactile puzzles where if you pull one part slightly to the left another part could be moved slightly. He always seemed to push or pull the wrong piece and this particular one annoyed him to no end. Normally someone would give up on a puzzle they couldn't solve after numerous attempts, Firah was so annoyed with the puzzle that not solving it meant that the stupid pieces of wood would win. Which meant he would loose and he was not about to loose to a fucking inanimate object.

Growling as the puzzle once more proved the better of him, Firah hit it against the ground just to show the sharding thing who was the boss in their relationship. How was a small ball of wood so difficult to solve! Holding it up to eye level he inspected the seems and pieces trying to gleam some sort of information from it. Truthfully, it was better that he was taking his frustration out on the little puzzle than on the people around him. Another hatching was slowly approaching and while he was sure he wasn't going to Impress (he hadn't for the last dozen hatchings, so why would he now?) he would still have preferred it if the Gold had waited until after they had left the Southern continent to lay her eggs. He might have been long gone by then, back to his family and his craft. With a sigh he touched the puzzle to his head, reflecting quietly on the life he had lead for the past three turns.

Nevani was still out of sorts from having survived the landslide. It wasn't that she was a stranger to death, so much as that she took it deeply each time it happened. She always saw how things could have been avoided. If so and so had just been different, and so on. She had to admit to herself though that this time, her what ifs were a bit more on the creative side, and wouldn't have been thought of until now, after the fact. She was tired, from having been working hard since before the sun had even rose. She couldn't sleep, not after what had happened. Her night had been so riddled with nightmares that she had given up on rest, and went to see where she might be of any use. Finally, one of the healers that she had been helping took one look at her and told her she had done quite enough for one day, and really needed to get some rest. Nevani didn't dare try to sleep though.

Therefore she was now walking aimlessly just to keep her mind away from the horrors she had seen. Her skin was even paler than normal, and her hair fell limp and tangled, which surprisingly she didn't even bother to fix. She didn't have the energy to look pretty, not today. She still managed to hold her typical pristine posture, head held high, and her back straight, though it was a wonder that she managed this. Her clothes were stained from her work of the day, but they were old clothes anyway. She didn't care about her appearance, probably for the first time in her 20 turns. 

At first, when she saw the young man sitting by the tree with the puzzle, it didn't really sink in that she saw a person. She sort of looked upon him blankly lost in her thoughts as she tried to figure out where she might go and what she might do that the healer wouldn't discover. Perhaps it was a movement of his that brought her to the here and now, or maybe recognition sank in. However she was pulled from her thoughts, she suddenly realized that she was looking at a man, not unattractive that she hadn't before tried to talk to. Her goal of riding a gold never far from her thoughts, she wondered, that maybe if she tried hard enough, she might start some sort of relation with this man, and maybe even a relationship that would lead to her loosing her virginity, and solving her biggest life problem. A girl could dream, at least, right?

Noticing the puzzle, she spoke, not really bothering with pleasantries, "Can I try to solve it?" she asked, more hoping that she could, and perhaps impress him, then they would have more to talk about, of this she was sure. She held out her hand, quizzically, and waited for his answer, unaware that she was swaying as she stood from fatigue.

Startled by the woman's voice he visibly twitched before glancing up to the source of the voice. His eyes, more intense than they should be, sized her up before glancing away. "Uh, sure. I guess." Removing the puzzle from his forehead he placed it in the girl's outstretched hand. "You should probably sit though. Ya' look as tired as I feel." Firah scooted a little to the side in case she really did want to sit down, there was plenty of tree to go around after all. While he normally would have told a man to go take a hike he was generally more accepting about women disturbing his peace, so long as they didn't chatter endlessly about trivial things. It was hard to say whether or not he enjoyed the company of men or women better especially now a days, it was probably safe to say he was happy to socialize with anyone who wasn't a Rider.

"I can't solve the damn thing, so you're more than welcome to try." He pulled his legs in so that one was tucked under the other, of which the other was still bent so that the bottom of his foot was against the ground. Firah rested one of his arms on his raised knee as he switched his gaze back onto the woman who now had his puzzle. He'd be lying if he said she wasn't pretty. In fact she rather reminded him of his now probably ex wife. Well, in the way that her features were near about the exact opposite of Sarinmay, who had mousey brown hair and blue eyes. Rubbing at his face with a hand, Firah sighed. Even if he did manage to escape from the Riders when they moved North he didn't have a guarantee that his life and family would be the same as it was. He'd come to accept that possibility a while ago. He had already provided his father a male grandchild before he had been kidnapped, so his family still had an heir without having to jump to the second son. So ultimately while he would have been missed, his family would have moved forward and carried on without him.

Subconsciously tracing the end of his scar, he watched as the woman attempted the puzzle. He wondered what she'd been doing to look as tired as she was. Surely she had nothing to do with the animals... perhaps she had been doing something womanly all night? Like, weaving or something. Why he was even thinking about it was beyond him, though he thought it had something to do with having given his puzzle away. Now his brain was free to wonder in all its tired glory. Her eyes were pretty... he shook his head slightly. Trying to focus on watching her handle the puzzle was difficult, but he tried his best. He wanted to see, if she did solve it, how she had solved it.

Nevani accepted the seat greatfully, then her long thing fingers worked at the puzzle, her light eyes focused on the wood, and the seams that would somehow show her how it worked. She was quite aware that she was being watched, and even looked at, but this didn't bother her, in fact, she liked the attention. Bit by bit, she moved the puzzles pieces this way and that, and more than once she would pause, tilt her head, look, then go about it in a completely different way than she had been trying before. In honesty, she wasn't even sure how the puzzle was supposed to end up when solved. Sometimes, she was good at puzzles, and sometimes she wasn't. It didn't help that it was rather hard for her to truly focus on the puzzle because sleep was trying to win.

She shifted where she sat, so that her feet were under her, and her back erect, a less comfortable position to keep the sleep at bay. She didn't want the nightmares to return, and she would stay awake until she was unconscious if she had to. As her fingers played with the puzzle, her mind wondered. She wondered if this man was even single, where had he gotten that scar, even wondered what his chores were for the weyr. Everyone had chores, hers happened to be more menial usually. She paused her thoughts, and her fingers and once again looked at the puzzle. It was a different shape now, but she wasn't sure if it was solved or not. She began to once again play with it, now more amused by the idle activity than actually trying to solve it.

After a moment longer, though for her it seemed quite a while indeed, she looked up to him, and laughed. "Well I'm beat, unless that was it a bit ago. Thank you for letting me try." Then she offered it back, and repositioned herself to a more comfortable position, about ready to give in to the sleep that was trying to take hold. She wasn't good at small talk, and the questions she had weren't really her business to ask. Oh she thought, I could at least give him my name. "I'm Nevani, and just a simple weyrbrat here." She wasn't sure why she added the extra information, it wasn't like her. Maybe she was more tired than she wanted to admit.

"My pleasure. You sure got a ways farther than I had." He accepted the puzzle when it was given back. Firah stared at it for a moment before moving a piece then pulling one out of the puzzle completely. "See look." He showed it to her. "You got it to where a piece came out. Never done that before." Putting a bit of jerky in his mouth as he attempted to pull more of the pieces out of the puzzle, he chewed it slowly until the woman gave him her name. "Mm." He made a noise as he attempted to swallow the meat so he could actually respond. It wasn't common for him to forget to ask someone's name.

"Firah." He said while continuing to fiddle with the puzzle. "Journeyman Beastcrafter. Though I tend to hunt more than work with the animals. Most of them aren't my specialty." Weyrbrat huh? Was she born in the South or was she exiled there with parents? He was curious but didn't want to pry. One didn't bluntly ask a woman about her past unless it was necessary. Then again the Weyrbred women tended to be a little more free when it came to giving up information, as far as he'd been able to tell. Firah made a triumphant noise when he was able to pull another piece out of the puzzle, it was becoming easier to deconstruct now that the first piece had been removed.

"Look at that, guess the puzzle just needed a woman's touch to get it straightened out." This was said both as a serious statement and a teasing one, the intent behind it was playful not insulting. It took him only a few minutes more to completely disentangle all of the pieces. Putting the pieces in a small pile on the ground, Firah flashed the woman a smile. "Nevani, was it? Do you..." She looked like she was on the verge of falling asleep. "Ah, nevermind. Don't mind me, I should let you rest." If he couldn't get some sleep, at least someone else should. Plus, he didn't mind if he went back to sitting in silence. It was a quiet morning anyway and Rukbat had come out from behind the clouds making shadows from the leaves of the tree they were sitting under which added to the calm atmosphere. It was nice to have a day where nothing hectic was going on and there was little to do but finish chores and relax. Looking back on the previous night, he was lucky it had happened the night before, otherwise he might not have had any time to rest.

I don't know whether you want to keep her awake or not, but if you want to have her fall asleep and then wake up having ended up sleeping against Firah you're welcome to. Cause then he's trapped there. xD He wouldn't move because he wouldn't want to wake her up.

Nevani decided that she liked his name, and wasn't very shocked to hear that he was one of the stolen. Later, it would cause her to attempt to tread lightly around him, as she wanted to ride a gold, and most of the stolen held the riders in comtempt. She laughed when he mentioned that the puzzle needed a woman's touch, an honest sparkle shining in her eyes in appreciation for the humor. Later, when he started to ask a question, she had almost pressed that he continued, but she found it rather hard to concentrate. Right now, all she was really conscious of was that she was trying not to sleep for fear of more nightmares. The problem was, sleep was winning.

She didn't leave the spot she was sitting though, and when sleep did overcome her, unbeknown  to her, she had fallen over and was laying against Firah. She was even neat in her sleep, her mouth remained closed, her breathing was slow and steady, well at least until the nightmare hit her.

Suddenly she was once again running from her hut as the deafening thunder and keening filed her ears. Everywhere she turned, though there seemed to be surging mud and dieing people and dragons alike. She kept running though trying to find an escape. Why didn't the dragons fly away? Then in the sense of dreams, she saw a gold that she knew was hers. There wasn't a name, but that made sense in the dream. She was a beautiful beast, seeming to glow a radiance that only dreams can produce, the best gold that ever lived. The mud was about to swallow her up.

Nevani awoke with a start screaming, "Fly away you bastard!" Then her eyes were open, and it was day. There was no landslide, no dragon, only the man she had just met sitting....under her? Her face now glowed a bright red from embarrassment as she realized that had been a nightmare, and further when she realized she had fallen asleep not only while sharing company, but on that said company. As her face glowed brightly, she looked down, unable to meet his eyes in her shame, andsaid softly. "A nightmare, again, another nightmare." She was more than awake now, as her heart seemed to be trying to beat its way out of her chest. She was certain that Firah could hear it's beats as loudly as she could, but there was nothing she would be able to do to calm it. So she sat there in her embarrassment, not willing to leave, but unable to really say anything else.

Firah had been in the middle of trying to put the puzzle back together, which was a whole new problem in itself, when Nevani fell against him. A soft sigh escaped him. It wasn't that he minded that she was sleeping against him, it was more that he was now trapped there since he didn't want to wake her up. Despite that, it was nice. Having been engaged young, Firah had never really gotten to be around women, even in a casual setting. Shifting ever so slightly so as to make the both of them more comfortable, the Crafter rested his head back against the tree. 

He had actually began to nod off when Nevani's scream roughly startled him awake. Wide eyed he scanned the area for animals or other dangerous events but was greeted with the same quiet area he'd settled down in. Worried he looked down at the girl who was now awake. A nightmare? "Well hey, its okay, you're awake now." He didn't really know what to say or how to deal with someone other than a child having a nightmare. It had been a weekly occurrence at the Beastcraft Hall for the children who had traveled across the continent to get there and he had been able to deal with them. Maybe some of the stuff they'd gotten to help would help Nevani? If he knew her better a hug would probably be in the cards.

"You should as the healers for an herb pillow." Firah laced his fingers together in his lap. "Um, one with hops and lavender in it. Back when I was still stationed at the Beastcraft Hall, some of the younger kids had nightmares and the Healers would give them that." He offered her a smile. "I mean, it worked for some of them so maybe it will help you." For others it didn't work very well, but then again that was the problem with some remedies. Feeling a little awkward, Firah rubbed his bottom lip slightly. "Was it... about the landslide? Obviously you don't have to tell me if you don't want," he added in quickly, "but... maybe if you found someone to talk to about your nightmares they would be less frequent? Like a close friend or someone?"

Nevani was truly relieved to have him say that she was ok now, and she looked up, true relief in her eyes. It had been a long time since she had heard conforting words given to her. A very long time.

She listened to his suggestions, and thought truthefully about later going to find one of those pillows. Maybe it would help indeed. When he asked if it was about the landslide, she nodded. She wouldn't share the turely terrifying part of her nightmare, she didn't know Firah enough. Instead she replied, "I don't really have a close friend. Normally by now I've managed to offend or piss the person I'm talking to off." She paused a moment, funning her fingers though her hair.  "It seems you're lucky enough to have met me at the right time." By this she meant that she was currently too exausted to really be herself, combinded with the fact that that she was trying her hardest now to make a friend or two. Of course she didn't add that out loud, there was no need to, it would most likely cost her the chance of making a friend with him.

"Oh really?" An incredulous chuckle accompanied his question. "Well I'll try to keep that in mind the next time we chat." Firah had a hard time believing her, at the very least about not having friends. Despite being tired she seemed the type to have one or two at the minimum. Then again he wasn't the greatest when it came to having actual friends so by no means was he an expert in the matter. Making friendly acquaintances was one thing, making friends with the people down here in the South was completely different.

"If you don't have anyone to talk to, I can at least help keep you a wake for a while. Oor offer a shoulder to rest on." With a smile he nudged Nevani gently with an arm playfully. Trying to twist her embarrassment over falling asleep into something she could laugh about. "I mean, I've got nice shoulders. Who wouldn't want to just..." He made a face and flapped a hand as he tried to think of something to say. "... Lay against them?" Even he realized how awkward that sounded, so he did what he always did, just shook his head and laughed.

"So. You said you were a Weyrbrat, yeah?" Firah readjusted his legs so that they were stretched out in front of him once again. "Are you a Gold Candidate? Or have the Stolen women taken up too many spots?" He reclined back against the tree with his hands resting comfortably on his stomach. While he wasn't entirely interested in talking about dragons, or rather anything having to do with dragons, he wasn't about to go back on his word. If it would help keep her awake he was willing to suffer through a chat about the beasts. Plus, he didn't mind Gold candidates as much as he minded being around the men who thought Dragons were the best things to happen since bread and wanted to become a rider just soo badly. And the Stolen men who were like that didn't have any sort of shame in his opinion.   

@Tashe

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