Vigil (2/2)
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: Devin, Bree, Eimi
Date Posted: 12th July 2006
Series: Saving Each Other
Characters: Abrei, U'kaiah, N'vanik, M'galec
Description: N'vanik's need for confession nearly causes a fight in the hallway outside the infirmary.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 13, day 4 of Turn 3
Abrei was stealthily wiping tears from her cheeks when M'galec pushed her out of the infirmary. They'd left with U'kaiah to give Talrian a few moments with his daughter now that Talryne had woken up, but she'd lingered long enough to see the blank, terribly empty look in Talryne's eyes. Already unsteady, Abrei's mood took a turn for the worse when she looked up and recognized the man coming in the direction of the infirmary. She recognized him as the bronzerider who had been so obnoxiously rude to her after he'd mistaken her for Talryne. "U'kaiah, please tell me he's not going to see my cousin," she muttered, not caring if she spoke loudly enough for the man to hear her.
N'vanik recognized the woman immediately, and was again struck by how much she resembled Talryne. "Yes, I am," he said, trying to sound annoyed.
U'kaiah laid a pacifying hand on Abrei's shoulder. "He has been taking good care of Talryne since the accident, Abrei." Looking up at his former wingrider he said, "You'll need to wait a bit, N'vanik. Talryne's father is with her now."
Abrei didn't look in the least bit pacified. "What, you mean he doesn't act like a sharding arse all the time?"
"No, he does," U'kaiah replied dryly, "but I think this has been a sobering experience for everyone. Really, Abrei, he's been very good for your cousin. Let it go."
M'galec laid his hand on her other shoulder. "Getting upset about past wrongs will not help Talryne now."
"I'm sorry," N'vanik mumbled suddenly.
Abrei gave him a suspicious look. "What?"
"I'm sorry. About your cousin. I should have tried to warn her." The words were halting, and N'vanik could hardly believe he was saying them.
"_What?_" "Wait a minute," U'kaiah said, raising a hand in the hopes that N'vanik would get the hint and shut up. "No one is blaming anyone. N'vanik had no time to warn her. He barely escaped with his own life. No one is to blame for what happened. It was a normal Threadfall accident. These things happen."
"Accidents happen because people make mistakes." Why did U'kaiah have to be there? Why did he have to be so logical about it? "_I_ made a mistake, and because of me, she's lying in there half dead." N'vanik wanted someone to be angry with him, to yell at him. To blame him.
Abrei was more than willing to accommodate him, in spite of the turns of experience that told her that accidents happened all the time in Threadfall.
That was a rational thought, and Abrei was out of rational thought today. "I _told_ you that you were no good for her," she snarled, wondering if she'd be able to get to her feet without M'galec or U'kaiah hauling her back into her chair.
U'kaiah stepped between the Weyrhealer and her intended prey. "No worse than I was, Abrei."
"You--" Abrei's brain stuttered to a halt. Her eyes narrowed as the meaning behind U'kaiah's words hit her. "You _didn't_, U'kaiah." Shards, she was going to hit _both_ of them!
"I _did_, Abrei. Don't you dare blame this all on N'vanik," the bronzerider replied, his jaw tightening as he looked down into her flaring eyes.
"All right, now, no one is blaming anyone," M'galec said in a pacifying tone, putting both hands on the Weyrhealer's shoulders. He could tell she was quickly reaching her breaking point. "What has been done has been done, and fighting among her... loved ones... certainly will not help Talryne in the slightest."
Much as he would have liked to start a fight, N'vanik didn't want to get himself banned from the infirmary. Turning to leave, he said, "I'll be back later." Then he paused, turning around again. "And you can stop defending me U'kaiah. I don't want it, and I don't need it."
Abrei leaned forward a little, testing how firmly M'galec was holding her shoulders. As soon as she judged the answer to be 'not firmly enough' she braced her weight on her good leg and pushed herself out of the chair, letting her momentum carry her the one step it took to get her in range of U'kaiah. Slapping him seemed worth tumbling pasts him onto the floor, though she had the feeling M'galec might throw her back into her chair before that became an issue.
Luckily M'galec had incredibly good reflexes and, despite his momentary surprise as the quick movement, he was able to grab her around the waist and pull her back down to the chair. "Oh no you are not going anywhere, Abrei,"
he growled as he wrapped his arms around her tightly.
U'kaiah knew he was her new intended target. And perhaps he deserved it.
"You can be angry with me, Abrei, but I never used her. I never hurt her.
She came to me when I needed someone, and I think she needed someone too."
Though he knew that would be of little comfort to her cousin now. And looking over his shoulder at N'vanik he growled, "And you just need to learn when to shut up. Why don't you make yourself useful to someone instead of wallowing in your own self-pity?"
"Why don't you go boss some weyrlings around," N'vanik snapped. "Maybe they'll listen to you."
His former wingleader turned his back on the Weyrhealer, leaving her in M'galec's apparently capable hands to walk back to N'vanik. Grabbing fistfuls of the bronzerider's tunic U'kaiah hissed, "If any situation has ever called for you to start acting like a man, _this_ would be it. You are _not_ helping Talryne by upsetting her family. She _needs_ them. Do not ruin what could be her last moments with them just to justify your own selfish self-loathing." N'vanik's eyes hardened as he grabbed U'kaiah's hands and shoved him off.
"Don't touch me," he said darkly before turning and walking away.
Abrei planted an elbow in M'galec's side. "Let me go, M'galec. I just want to go back in and see my cousin." And escape from Dragonsfall before she had to face U'kaiah once the anger had worn off. At this moment, she'd be happy if she never saw him again.
Last updated on the July 12th 2006
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