Cleaning Up a Bit
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Halyonix, Steel
Date Posted: 24th June 2026
Characters: G'weld, Sareya
Description: G’weld gets help with Tarsenuth’s bath
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 1, day 8 of Turn 13
“... Hey.” G'weld called out. “Hey. You're a Candidate, right? And I saw you… I saw you in the Dragonhealers‘ before.” He added, approaching the young woman. “I… if you help me wash Tarsenuth, I'll give you a quarter mark.” He offered.
Sareya’s chin lifted proudly. “Yes, I’m a Candidate. _And_ I’m a dragonhealer. _And_ I come from a family of dragonriders. You don’t have to pay me to wash a dragon.” It felt dirty, accepting a mark to do something like that, even though Sareya wouldn’t mind having an extra quarter mark for the next Gather.
To prove her point, she rolled up her sleeves, grabbed a brush, and waded out towards Tarsenuth to stubbornly prove how good she was at this.
“Stay to his left side.” G'weld ordered, perhaps a little bit more sharply than he'd meant to.
He winced. “... Sorry. I… Thanks for the help.”
Tarsenuth settled into the shallows with a draconic sigh.
Sareya did as she was told but she couldn’t help but wonder why the left side. At some point, she peeked around enough to see that the dragon was definitely blind in his right eye. Her dragonhealer training began kicking in. “Did he get Threaded?” she asked.
“... Aye.” G'weld responded, after a long moment. “We did. Poor Tars got the worse deal. He's healing.” he added. “But his face and neck…”
Sareya paused as respectfully as she could with her clinical curiosity starting to rise. “Can I…see the injury?”
**Tarsenuth?** G'weld asked.
The bronze snorted, eying Sareya with his good eye and a slow lash of his tail. }:She is bold.:{
“Fine.” G'weld allowed. “But keep your thoughts to yourself. No gawking.”
Sareya lifted her chin. “I’m a dragonhealer. I won’t gawk.” _Other_ apprentices might but she was the granddaughter of a dragonhealer and the daughter of dragonriders and she knew way better.
With professional curiosity, she viewed the damaged eye. Facets that would normally be colored were now a lifeless gray, indicating blindness. “There’s no drainage,” she declared with youthful confidence, “so you won’t have to worry about infection. That’s good.”
“I've already heard that.” G'weld pointed out.
Tarsenuth snorted, and deliberately turned his head to regard the Candidate with his good eye.
}:I itch.:{ he told his rider pointedly, and G'weld stroked his muzzle. “All right, Tars.”
He slid a glance at Sareya. “He's not feeling very patient right now. We can talk more, but it'll have to be while we get him scrubbed up.”
“Sure,” the teenager replied. She abandoned her clinical inspection and went back to scrubbing Tarsenuth diligently, though her mind spun through all of the prognoses and treatments available for an injury as such. There wasn’t much. He’d be blind but at least he could still see _something_ and could still fly. Just not fight. “Have you been at Barrier Lake since it opened?” she asked conversationally.
“Oh, no.” G’weld told her. “I transferred here in turn eleven. But it’s been… mostly pleasant.”
“I’ve loved it here. I mean, tragedies notwithstanding. But we built this place from scratch so building is a part of us, right?” she answered, projecting what she thought was the same sort of confident positivity that she heard leaders use. “We’ll build back against any loss.”
“That's a positive way to look at it.” G'weld said, half amused. “Are you a Barrier Lake native then?”
She nodded. “My family is all dragonriders. My fathers are blueriders. My grandmother is a goldrider. And I’m a Candidate.” The pride in her voice dissipated for a moment as she wrinkled her nose. “My brother is a Candidate too,” she admitted begrudgingly.
“Are you looking forward to Impressing, then?” G'weld asked, amiably.
“Absolutely! I’m going to be a dragonrider just like my fathers and grandmother. Maybe even a gold if there’s an egg!”
“Being a rider is a lot of work-- but you know that already.” G'weld allowed. “I won't bore you.”
Sareya nodded. “But it’s _worth_ it!” And it was work she was looking forward to! She just…needed a dragon! “Here, Tarsenuth. Let me get up on your shoulder and shine that ridge, okay?”
“It is.” G'weld agreed. “The risks certainly didn't dissuade me. Tarsenuth?” He prompted.
The bronze dragon grumbled, but sank lower in the water with a snort. He _did_ want to look excellent.
With practiced ease, Sareya hopped up and began buffing each ridge. “The ladies won’t be able to resist you,” she told the bronze. “You’ll catch everyone’s eye in the sunlight later.”
The bronze rumbled again, slightly more approving, and stayed steady so that the girl wouldn’t fall off.
“There we go!” she declared after a few moments of efficient industriousness. She slid down from his shoulder on his able-eyed side, grinning at those facets. “The shiniest bronze in the Weyr!”
“He says thank you.” G’weld told her. “A thanks from me as well.”
She grinned brightly. “You’re welcome!”
Last updated on the September 2nd 2026