[PRP] Visitations (Shar x R'iz)

[SilverLutz]

Come, SharMine! Faster!

Sharp, small claws scrabbled on the stonework of the floor as a small, dark green dragon slid around the corner of the hallway leading to the Healer's Wing, little legs going a mile a minute to keep her from sliding into the opposite wall. Wings spread and tail flailing for balance, Yulanaith gave a triumphant bugle as she found her feet beneath her once again, gaining traction as she charged forward towards the entrance of the wing. She knew exactly which bed to run to, having visited a few times already, and she slid to a stop before the station where her brother Bossuth and his rider lay.

Good morning! she said cheerfully to the bronze, leaning in to playfully nudge his leg. It's a wonderful day outside, nice and warm. It's a shame you're so far from the window. Her tail swung back and forth behind her as she wiggled with delight, energetic and eager to play. Her hide was shining from a fresh oil session and her eyes were a bright teal, shifting between green and blue so fast it was hard to see the colors on their own.

Oh, and you're awake this time! she said, directing her attention to the still-bandaged but not nearly as bloody R'iz. The past few times Shar and Yulan had stopped in the past week the new bronzerider had been sleeping, but today he was very much awake. SharMine will be here soon, we were racing but she's carrying lots of things so it was slowing her down. Not to mention the greenrider had a bit of a limp from the injury to her leg as well, making her pace awkward and slower than usual. Yulaniath didn't seem to consider those things any sort of handicap, though, and would have told Shar to give it her all if she had been the one burdened with books and an injured leg.

How are you feeling? Hopefully better than last week.  

[Hattaki]

It was possible to hear his sister coming before he even saw her, that was what had Bossuth lift his broad head up from his rider's chest slowly, eyes swirling purple as he heard the scrabbling of many small claws. It hadn't been very long since they'd hatched yet but still the little green was so small in comparison to even his small stature for a bronze and he adored seeing her come flying in, revved up for her day and excited simply to be visiting. R'iz needed all the visitors that he could get even if he couldn't speak for himself just yet. So many days simply sleeping and only waking up to feed his beloved dragon and oil his skin, possibly check on the bandages that the bronze had, but those wounds had healed up enough to have those removed by now. His rider's... hadn't. When he hadn't been doing those things he'd been asleep and it appeared that he had needed it.

At least today he'd just finished oiling him up so he was still awake, having not yet nodded off to the realm of sleep again. Fortuitous indeed then! With a happy little bugle Bossuth slid off his rider's body and bed to the floor so he could wrap a wing around his little sister for the moment that the ball of green dragon would allow him. Eyes spiraling purple and blues he bowed his head to her, It's a bit easier to be away from the window so Radish can sleep, but it does smell so nice when the breeze comes through. Over the past week his nose had been filled with only the scent of medical supplies, but today there was such a breeze, he almost wished that they could escape, even R'iz had been thinking it.

A groan pulled from R'iz as he sat up, fixing Yulanaith with a crooked half covered grin, bandages still about his head even though they'd been changed recently. Soon he could have them off, that much they had told him the day before, there was still... seeping. But all that mattered was that Bossuth had healed up quickly, he could heal slower and not care as long as the bronze was healthy. And he seemed to be since he'd grown even in the last week. All that annoyed him was that he couldn't answer the little green when she'd asked him a question or talked to him. Instead he leveled his response to Bossuth who gleefully picked up on it and sent him a surge of love in response.

The amount of love the little bronze poured into him was still taking some getting used to, it still made his heart beat faster and his breath hitch when he received it. But it was getting better!

He's happy he was awake this time and says 'congratulations on winning!' for your race. the little bronze spoke in both Yulaniath's mind and R'iz's at the same time but he focused his entire line of thought to his sister for the last part He's been feeling cooped up and lonely. I think it's why he isn't getting better any faster and I'm... worried. Gray speckled across his eyes until it was a full on spiral through his usual purple hue. Of course the teen was feeling physically better to some extent but Bossuth was no fool and he had access to the lonely feelings inside the redhead's heart. It definitely made it better that he was awake for the visit of his best friend and her green dragon this time, maybe it would lift his spirits to see her and whatever it was that she was carrying?

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Yulaniath was quick to snuggle up to her brother as he hopped off the bed, twining her tail around his kinked one in a little hug of her own. It amused her to see how much her siblings had started to grow once they broke through their shells, her metallic siblings most of all. She had barely budged in terms of length but it didn't bother her at all. If she was the largest or the smallest green, she'd still fight her hardest when the time came.

The praise from R'iz made the small green honk in delight, clearly pleased that she had won. Shar would never let her win, she had to earn it, even when the small rider was encumbered with heavy things. As Bossuth spoke to just her, though, she turned her attention back to her brother to comfort him. Hers would be along soon to raise the spirits of his Radish soon enough so she could focus on him.

You have every right to be worried, she soothed, nuzzling Bossu's neck, bumping her nose fondly against his cheek. After seeing their sister blink Between not moments after hatching Yulaniath knew she'd never let something like that happen again if she could do anything about it and reassuring her siblings was something she knew she was good at.

But he's strong, Bossuth! He won't let you down. Oh, I think I hear SharMine... She turned her head to peek over at the doorway, giving a little trill as Shar limped her way into the wing. She had over her shoulder a satchel that seemed stuffed with books and parchment and in her hands she carried a few extra books that didn't fit in the bag. The expression on her face was one tied for annoyance and amusement as she spotted her dragon sheltering under Bossuth's wing.

"There you are, you little sneak. Leaving me in the dust, eh?" She didn't mind that Yulan had taken the race to heart despite the obvious outcome. Knowing she had that much drive to win warmed her from the inside out. Flicking her gaze to R'iz, her expression lightened a bit with delight as she noticed he was awake.

"The ever-slumbering R'iz has awaken, oh glorious day," she drawled even though her happiness was fairly evident for those that knew what to look for. She made it to his bedside and sat down next to his knees, not bothering to take the chair beside the bed where visitors were meant to sit. His legs were fine, after all.

"How you feeling?" she asked, looking over his face. The bandages looked fresh and clean and it was nice to see him sitting up rather than laying down. There was even a bit of color in his one cheek that she could see which was encouraging as the last time she'd come in he was as pale as a sheet.

Hattaki

 

[Hattaki]

A croon escaped from the small bronze at his sister's attentions, the bop of her nose against his broad cheek had him rub his whole head against her ridges and headknobs gently in response. He is very strong, even if he won't admit it himself. This is the longest he must have sat waiting though, for he keeps thinking of escaping to go and see things and certain people. Maybe it would cheer him up to escape? He might not be so lonely that way. It had been a bit lonely for him as well, being away from everyone when he wanted to see all his siblings and cousins growing, but at the same time... It was almost a blessing that he'd been able to keep his own inadequacies from showing and embarrassing himself and his rider in the early days of their teaching and training. I'm more afraid to let him down. Radish could never let me down. He was always afraid to let everyone down, but that was because he was so certain of it. He didn't want to dwell on his own thoughts too often though for that was a slippery slope. Instead it meant that he was able to simply coil up and probe through every facet of R'iz's heart, to learn everything he could even though he'd already known it all before. It was a right denied his smallest sister and so Bossuth meant to take every advantage of his own opportunity and right. Something that R'iz seemed equally happy to provide him with, though his train of thought in that moment felt a firm mental push.

One way or another the redhead meant to see that self deprecating loathing gone from his dragon's hearts no matter how long it took him to do so. Still, his hand reached out to brush against one metallic wing gently and he nodded to Yulanaith before looking up to watch Shar limped through the opening and over their way. A smile pulled at the side of his face hidden beneath a cover of bandages and R'iz pulled his legs up so he was sitting cross-legged on the bed looking at her through one tired eye. Bossuth had told him of all her visits for the little bronze had been beyond thrilled to see her each time. He could only imagine how that might have gone since apparently his dragon had been nothing but a bronze blanket for the past week, always draped across him protectively and from what the healers had told him, nervously watchful of any that came near no matter how many times he'd seen them.

A sigh pulled from him but he let the grin flash for a moment on the other side of his face. He says he hates this place! But he's really happy to see you, I can tell. Without a single warning Bossuth spoke up and laid his head down on Shar's leg, one purple eye looking up at his rider's best friend adoringly. Love swelled up and came off him in waves directed straight towards the girl, for he could already tell the difference in R'iz's demeanor just from such a brief contact, he was already more perked up and attentive. Even though she wasn't his own rider he could at least let the girl know what it meant to him for her to visit again and raise his Radish's spirits. That might be too much Bossuth. The warning fell on deaf headknobs though, for there was already an open link to the deep well of love that the bronze possessed for everyone and everything.

It took R'iz everything he had not to laugh and the only reason that he didn't was because his jaw was still firmly bound shut and to laugh pulled the stitches on his chest. Even though they didn't hurt didn't mean he wanted them replaced so they would again. She's not gonna like that buddy.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Yulan tilted her head at the mentions of escaping this place, an amused, light laugh filling her brother's head. She had spent the past week with Shar going over memories and getting to learn her rider and R'iz was no stranger to slipping out from under the healer's noses. It was how they had met, after all.

Perhaps when he's a little less damaged he can sneak out. I'm not sure he's quick enough at the moment, she said, turning to observe the redhead for a moment. She'd happily partake in a little jailbreak if it meant helping the young man get a bit of happiness and fresh air. Wasn't that supposed to promote healing?

As Shar plopped herself down on the bed, Yulan gave a delighted trumpet and nudged her thigh firmly with her head. I won, SharMine! I beat you!

Yeah, well don't get used to it. Without all these books weighing me down I'll be a more formidable opponent on the way back.

A larger, denser head than she was used to rested on Shar's leg, pulling her attention away from her grinning friend, and she snorted softy at the comment about R'iz hating this place. She knew it was a fond sort of hate - no one liked being laid up here but they did save lives regularly - but could only feel the same. Her time here had been a mix of frustration, pain, weakness, and respect...the parts she was lucid for at least. What had felt like an eternity had been a few weeks in reality, although she could only remember about six or seven days of it.

"We've got a long track record with the healer's wing," Shar said with a low chuckle, reaching out to pat Bossu's nose. "I can confirm it sucks wherry eggs being cooped up in here. But I'm sure it's a little more bearable now that he's got you for company." As the last word left her lips a very strange sensation rolled over her, not unlike how she had felt when Yulan had joined her mind. Unlike then, however, this was almost suffocating in how heavy it felt and her chest was so tight it was hard to breathe. She could almost feel the amusement radiating off of R'iz and she did her very best to keep a straight face, but as the love and gratitude and affection - Yulan placed every emotion filling her up with a smug little tone to her voice - welled up within her from the little dragon at her feet, she had to react.

"Shards and shells, what is that?" she asked, coughing slightly out of reflex as if that might ease the pressure in her chest. She even went as far as to lift a hand to her chest, pressing against her heart as it pounded quicker from the strange emotions rolled within her. Her other hand moved slightly on the bed to better brace herself because with each new surge from Bossu it felt like someone was shoving her back, the weight on her chest increasing with each passing moment.

Bossu, you're killing her with kindness, Yulan said with a cheerful laugh to her voice. Mine has much to learn and accept when it comes to things like what you are giving her.

"R'iz, I can't breathe," Shar said weakly as her arm finally gave out and left her sprawled on the bed on her back, staring up at the ceiling high above as it felt like a gold was sitting on her chest. It was a good thing he'd gone cross legged, otherwise she was sure the weight alone would have crushed them beneath her. "Make him stop."

Hattaki

 

[Hattaki]

For anyone else this might have been hard to watch, for R'iz it was straight out hysterical. Deep down he was concerned since he knew that Shar didn't handle physical expressions of feelings too well but this wasn't exactly 'physical' so much as telepathic and he couldn't help her there other than to warn Bossuth off. He already had though, told him twice even, but the small bronze was just that way, extremely loving from the tip of his nose to the ends of his kinked tail tips. Simply put, the dragon was made of love and affection that he poured out to others and it was becoming apparent that others meant everyone.

It was awesome to the redhead but he was holding his chest as he tried hard to not laugh at poor Shar's reaction to it.

I'm killing her!? Bossuth expressed in a slight panic, his eyes swirled yellow through the deep purple that was still flooded in all the facets and the little bronze crawled up onto the bed and draped himself over Shar completely and protectively. I'm so sorry Shar! Please forgive me, I didn't mean to hurt you, was it because my head was on your leg? Does the rest of you hurt? His little bronze face stared down into the girl's with concern in his eyes as he tried to fill her up with love to apologize for whatever it was that had almost killed her. She seemed like she was in so much pain! What could he do!? What had he been giving her that was killing her? Love and concern came off of him in waves until R'iz was laughing though the binding on his jaw.

Bossuth, you gotta let Shar breathe, you're gonna actually kill her with kindness buddy. His laughter tried to ease up but every time he looked at the scene before him the redhead couldn't help himself. Bossuth was just so concerned that Shar was actually dying that he was trying to blanket over her to protect her like he'd been doing with R'iz himself for the past week. Some people don't like that level of love and affection, or don't know how to handle it. You can just give all of it to me instead.

Just the fact that he was saying it felt odd but there was already a swell of love sent to him by his dragon in response even if he didn't move right away. Bossuth was waiting for Shar to tell him she was okay, his face still peering down into hers and his body and wings covering her carefully so she was protected from anything that might hurt her, not completely understanding that it was emotion doing this.

Oh this would be so hard to get his dragon to understand. R'iz started to laugh again.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

The flood of emotions didn't stop and rather than hearing R'iz trying to help her, she could hear him laughing, muffled though it was. She turned her head slowly as if that was being crushed by some invisible weight as well to glare balefully at her friend, but a moment later the bed dipped and everything was blocked from view as a beautifully marked wing shaded her from the room. She turned her head only to be confronted with the massive, concerned eyes of Bossuth, staring down at her as he spoke, begging for forgiveness.

Yulan giggled softly as she too hopped up on the bed, her much smaller and lighter frame barely moving the thin mattress at all. She wiggled under Bossu's wings, joining the duo to nuzzle her brother's leg.

It's just a saying, Bossuth, don't worry! You're not actually killing her. But you have incapacitated her which is quite amusing. She gave a little laugh that was echoed by a rather melodious chitter, clearly pleased with the situation. Shar lifted a hand to swat at her useless dragon, trying to shoo her away if she wasn't going to help.

"I can hear you laughing," she commented dryly as she studied the actual dragon that was now hovering over her. His broad chest was pressing against hers a bit and applying actual pressure but not nearly as overwhelmingly as the sensations within her chest were putting invisible weight on her. Another wave of overwhelming sensation and emotion washed over her as Bossu attempted to apologize and she had to close her eyes to breathe through the unusual sensations. How to get the loving bronze to understand that this was so overwhelming it made breathing difficult without upsetting him? Even though she'd happily tease R'iz all day long, the thought of saying or doing or feeling something negative towards the dragon hovering over her was nearly painful. He was so sweet and pure and she didn't want to take that away from him.

Yulan could feel Shar's inner conflict and she took pity on her rider, turning her nuzzling to nudging as she tried to get Bossu to move off the bed. Maybe she could get him to play a bit and distract him from being so loving and warm and kind, as silly as that sounded. Shar would need to be eased into this sort of thing as pushing her off the edge into the deep end clearly hadn't worked too well.

Mine will be just fine, dear brother. Let her up so she can talk to your Radish, she's missed having him around too even if she won't say it. Hers was much better at showing her emotions, she had come to realize. She might not tell R'iz that having an empty seat in class made her a bit lonely, nor that she had made sure to make her handwriting legible for a change so R'iz wouldn't have to strain to read her usual scribbles with his one good eye. But Yulan knew, despite meeting R'iz in person only once before while he was awake, that he would understand the concern and worry Shar had for her friend.

Want to play? I like 'tag'. One of us is 'it' and tries to catch the other!

Shar could feel Yulan trying to urge Bossuth off of her, but before she could do that she reached up to give the bronze's cheek a little pat and a very tiny smile. She could feel the weight of all that emotion slowly shifting off her just a bit, allowing her to think a bit better.

"I'm fine," she said to put his mind at ease. "Thank you for your concern, Bossuth. Definitely not actually dying."

Hattaki

 

[Hattaki]

Gray threaded through his eyes gently even as he leaned against Yulanaith gently, his face not budging from where those eyes peered down into Shar's and with a suddeness he yanked all of his emotions back at once and heaped them onto R'iz who simply sighed and closed his eyes. So I'm not... killing her? I don't know why it's amusing but as long as Shar is okay then it's.... good right? A gentle line of reassurance came from R'iz as he adjusted to the press of emotions that had eased up from their connection when Bossuth turned it towards Shar but seemed to settle back over him like a warm blanket that he hadn't notice he'd missed completely. Just the very effect of it leaving hadn't startle him but coming back it left him taking a deep breath so he didn't choke outwardly and betray the immense relief he felt from having it back so suddenly. It left the redhead sitting with his arms resting on his crossed knees with his eyes still closed to try and keep himself from even crying because it was still too much, but it was just perfect. Someday he would be used to this feeling but for now he just held onto it as his dragon washed it over him and tried to breath through it.

A smile did flash across his face when he heard Shar's dig about his laughter but he couldn't respond to it directly and wasn't about to confuse and muddy up Bossuth's mind any further. Best to let him go and play with his sister who was already nudging at him and he could feel the tugging of his dragon not wanting to leave just yet. It's okay, she's right, you've gotten to see them both but I haven't really seen Shar yet. Not since the sands. Go and have some fun with Yulanaith and see how it feels to play. You've been too cooped up here and that's my fault. Slowly the gray left the little bronze's eyes and he eased up from Shar very gently as he turned to look at R'iz with purple eyes once more. It's not your fault! My cousin hurt you because she was hurt but you were protecting your friends. I like laying with you to relax. He still listened to what he was told all the same, both his sister and his rider were telling him to go and play so how could he turn down Yulan?

With a gentle nuzzle to Shar's hand and then very softly her forehead he slunk off the bed and hopped a bit to look up at his little green sister. Who's it? Are you it?! Should I run?! Bossuth was already turning to hop his way away from her since he knew that he wasn't really fast as he could be, fast as Yulan was. For some reason he couldn't explain he was so excited to try and play this and yet he was also slightly concerned that he would let her down with his inability to keep up with her fast pace. But he would try!

Just the excitement he could feel between their connection had R'iz open his one gold eye and quirk his face in another smile. He needed to experience more and this past week he hadn't gotten that chance. Not only had Bossuth missed the feast but he'd also missed every chance to bond with his siblings in the past week and that was so much his fault it almost hurt. But to see him so excited to play, just a happy baby dragon at last... it was beyond words to explain how happy it made him. With a heaved sigh he looked over towards Shar and tilted his head a bit downwards. He couldn't mouth anything towards her, that required moving his jaw and he couldn't do that, but maybe if he looked bent over a bit then she would see his apology. Deep down he knew that Bossuth was too much for even him so for her it was like the hug he'd given her back many months ago. Not intentional but it had startled or hurt her all the same.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

As her brother slowly came around to the idea of playing, Yulan slithered off the bed and trotted over to the more open space of the middle of the room. Beds lined either side of the large middle area, but thankfully most of them were empty now. Those that had been harmed at the hatching had mostly recovered with the exception of R'iz and one or two more down at the ends. They were far enough away that the little green felt like they could play in this area and not disturb them.

When Bossuth finally joined her on the ground she spun in a quick circle, wings tucked close against her body to keep her as aerodynamic as possible. She was fast - she was a green after all! - and she loved competition, but she also knew how earnest Bossuth was and how hard he'd try despite already being as long as Shar was tall. She'd have to make sure to be fair to him and not run circles around him.

Yes, yes, run! I'm it! I'll give you a head start, she added, plopping her rump down where she stood. They were so close right now that all she'd have to do would be reach out to touch the bronze dragon and that wasn't fair. She'd need to give him a few seconds to scamper away before giving chase.

Shar, in the meantime, let out a huge sigh of relief as Bossuth shifted from straddling her and lifted all the crushing emotions from her. She closed her eyes to re-center herself, not wanting to sit up and just flop back down, because even though the overwhelming sensation was gone she felt a bit too light now. Almost a little empty and weak. It was very strange indeed, but by the time she opened her eyes she didn't feel quite as light headed. R'iz leaned over her at that point and she peered up at his one good eye, arching a brow in return at his half-hidden expression.

"What's that look for?" she asked, pushing herself up slowly to make sure she wasn't going to just flop back over. "Apologizing for your dragon, hm? Good. He's a ruthless crushing machine." Despite the words, her tone was light and teasing and the little smirk on her face let him know that it wasn't a problem. The dragons were still babies and would be learning for years to come. If he had a dragon that loved everyone and tried to show them that it wasn't the worst thing in the world even if it had startled her.

"So I brought you everything you've missed so far," Shar added as she found she could sit up. She reached for the back she had brought and swung her legs up onto the bed, sitting cross-legged across from R'iz, the bag between them. She pulled out a the textbooks first, piling them up neatly on one side, then the paper and quills for doing the work on. A list of readings and questions came next and she set that atop the blank paper, then a thick stack of notes from the lectures. Her hand cramped up a bit just looking at them and she set the re-copied, legible notes atop the books.

"It looks like a lot but it's not too bad. Not for someone cooped up in here for days on end. These are lecture notes," she said, putting her hand on the papers she had taken out last. "A lot of these first few weeks aren't going to be too hands-on in learning so you won't miss that sort of stuff. And now that you're up and I've explained it all, when I swing by with more work I can just leave it if you're sleeping." Even though this was the first time she'd seen R'iz awake in the past week, she'd stopped by once a day since she had left the wing herself, each time laden with more books and papers. She didn't want to just dump everything and go so if he had questions he could ask them. Seeing that his head was still bandaged the way it was, though, she knew he'd have to relay the questions through Bossuth.

Now that the formalities were out of the way, Shar slid off the bed and stacked the two piles up on the table beside the bed for R'iz to work on at his leisure. That done, she turned to her friend and tilted her head, taking in his appearance. Although he was wrapped up like a mummy he looked a lot better than he had, and after a moment she did a quick glance around the wing. No one was here but them.

"...wanna get out of here for a little bit?' she asked, turning her gaze back to R'iz's face, a mischievous look glinting in her eyes. It was only fitting she offered him an escape considering how they met.

Hattaki

 

[Hattaki]

Never once had he played with any of his siblings, though there had been a few that had come and gone through the healers since he and R'iz had been cooped up within the walls none of them had really talked to him and he was just a bit too shy to reach out to them. Yulan hadn't even played with him just yet so Bossuth wriggled excitedly as he turned about and took off running awkwardly. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't run either and his normal 'step, step, hop' was not working for this very well. As he ran his back legs slid out from under him a bit and it looked a little more like waddling and slipping than running until he managed to get his hind legs under him and started to.... hop. It definitely came a lot better than running did but it seemed a slight bit slower too, kicking off with his back legs and forelegs as they hit the ground until he was almost bouncing as he tried to keep from running into any of the cots in the healer's wing. The more he did it the more Bossuth's eyes flashed bright colors, blues and greens and sparks of purple as he realized that this was actually lots of fun!

With a bright honk he glanced back towards where Yulan sat, trying to see how much of a head start she might give him since he was still getting his legs beneath him for this 'tag' thing. His green sister was fast and most certainly would strip right past him when it came to running but he'd try his absolute best to make it fun for her and not fail. A wave of confidence came from the link he shared with R'iz and Bossuth simply laughed for it because he didn't think much of his skills at it just yet. Time to learn? Come and get me! I won't let you down! He hoped he wouldn't at least.

Exasperation came off R'iz in waves for his dragon's constant putting himself down, that would take some time to work through and at least he knew that he had all the time in the world to work with the little bronze on it. Still, he wanted to laugh at how he was 'running', that wouldn't fly during trainings but at least that was why it was training. To Shar he quirked an eyebrow and tilted his head at her words that weren't at all matching the expression on her face, especially since he knew that for her Bossuth was very much an attack dragon. Not intentionally, but he had found her weakness unintentionally and just flooded it. Of course he was apologizing but really he didn't think that Shar needed one in this moment, because she knew somewhere deep down.

The exasperation in him for Bossuth's lack of self-confidence was washed away by the complete appreciation that he felt for his best friend the moment she began to pull out textbooks and papers, quills and ink that she stacked up on the little table beside him with notes that had been taken from the lessons that he'd been beating himself up for missing in the short times he had been awake. Everything he needed to catch up was there. How long had she sat there and taken notes, written things out neatly for him on top of all the other things that she needed to do for her own weyrling duties? She'd done all of this just for him because he'd been injured and couldn't be there? Of course he'd have done it for her but... the fact that anyone took time out of their own duties to help him at all formed a lump in R'iz's throat and made it hard to swallow for some reason. A ping of love came from Bossuth that pressed into the center of his chest without a single care for how heavy it was, that was enough to make him chuckle past the lump and he bowed his head again to Shar in thanks.

And then confusion. Slowly lifting it up to look at her there was something that flashed behind Shar's eyes and it left him twisting to get the sheets of his legs so that he could stand. She was offering the chance to get out of the healers wing, to get away from sickness and pain and the smell of numbweed. To see sunlight again, just like the first time. No, he couldn't answer her aloud, but when he stood on shaky legs and almost tumbled against her he was grinning.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Yulan watched with delight, then curiosity as Bossu hobbled away from her, his legs working against him as he tried to run. His rear end skidded out to the left a bit before he took on a new tactic...hopping. He bounded away at a surprising speed, leaving the little green in the dust. Yulan lifted her head sharply with eyes nearly glowing a deep blue with delight and happiness at seeing her brother so free and at ease with himself and she knew in that instant she'd be running his way so they could play fairly together.

The honk spurred Yulan to her feet, wings flapping as she bounded after him. Hopping, it turned out, was much harder than she thought it would be! She gave a light and happy trumpet in return before tripping over her front feet as they got a little caught up in her enthusiasm. A laugh echoed in all of the minds present as she caught herself, saving her chin from cracking against the hard floor, and she was off again a moment later, bounding after Bossuth.

I'm coming! What a fun way to play, Bossuth! Yulan said with glee as she chased after her larger brother, still hopping her way across the hospital floor. She was drawing closer thanks to Bossu pausing to look behind him but she certainly wasn't a speed demon like this.

Shar's smirk was firmly in place as she watched R'iz go through the mental gymnastics of jumping subjects so quickly, but once realization dawned on him he was out of bed in a flash. Well, she guessed that was a good enough answer to if he was feeling up to standing. She hopped to her feet quickly as R'iz overbalanced a bit - she knew what it was like to stand after being horizontal for so long - and reached out to steady him so he didn't fall flat on his face and require more healing time here.

"I'll take that as a yes," she said with a grin. R'iz was decked out in a hospital robe with no shoes, but there were some slippers she saw stuffed under the bed that could be used in a pinch. She made sure he was steady on his feet before crouching down to pull them out, lining them up properly before rising once more. Placing a hand on R'iz's shoulder to keep him steady, she motioned for him to step into the slippers.

"Gotta move quick, though. Not sure how long the healers'll be doing something else." As long as they made their escape down the hallway and around the corner they'd be free, but they were still in a bit of a dangerous spot right now. She kept a wary eye out just in case she saw movement, but for now it was just the green and bronze dragons playing. Making sure to stay still until R'iz had his feet covered, she finally started to move slowly down the edge of the bed, keeping a hand out to make sure if R'iz toppled while she couldn't stand right next to him she could at least try to grab him. Once they were out from between beds, though, she stood directly by his side with a hand gripping the back of his robe, ready to haul him back on his feet if he stumbled.

"I might not be the most solid crutch but feel free to use me like one if you need to," she added, the slow pace making her limp less pronounced. Yulan paused in her bouncing to look back at the duo with a questioning sensation flooding Shar, but the young woman quickly explained their course of action. Understanding quickly, the green dragon gave chase once more, almost herding Bossuth towards the doorway.

Hattaki

 

[Hattaki]

Hopping was turning out to be the most amazing amount of fun! Though Yulan would surely catch up with him despite her slower start and trying to figure out what he was doing to make him bounce like this, he was sure that she would catch him in due time. But for now he could bounce about with bright little trumpets and bugles leaving him every now and then, his eyes dancing with a swirl of blues and greens as he wound his way about between beds and flicked the ends of his tail tips playfully.Catch me if you can! Though surely you can! Bossuth made certain to correct himself lest he insult his smaller sister and her skill at running that far surpassed his own.

Glancing back to make certain that it wasn't the case, that he hadn't made her angry, he was surprised by just how close she'd gotten! With a trumpet of alarm, tinged in a healthy amount with playful joy, the little bronze bounced even harder and landed in a bit of a heap for a moment when his front legs caught awkwardly, leaving him sprawled. Scrabbling back up he hopped away even faster and laughed brightly as he headed over towards the entrance to get away from how close she'd suddenly gotten. I think you're catching on really well! You'll be better than me in no time Yulaniath, see!? That didn't mean that he had to stop though! He was going to win... this odd game of 'tag'... however one did that!

Stepping into slippers was fairly easy even if he had to tap his toes against the stone a few times to get them on his feet well enough. The first time he'd escaped the healers it had been going into summer, now it was much colder and there was no chance that he had the strength or the speed to change over into actual clothing. And he didn't have any with him anyway! Though he wasn't there to do it himself his belongings had been moved over to the Weyrling barracks, that much he'd been told, so no clothing of any sort. Not that much of R'iz's clothing fit anyway, he'd somehow lost even more weight just being unable to eat anything solid. Now there wasn't much left for his frame to lose, so it made him considerably lighter when he leaned against his friend at least.

Unable to answer or respond to anything that Shar was saying, R'iz simply glanced up and around the large room, one eye looking to see if there was anyone even remotely close to around that might stop them. While there didn't seem to be, if the two dragons continued on like that there might be someone that would come looking for them, surely. All the same, he didn't have the heart to tell Bossuth to be quiet, though he did answer the remark "You're up Radish! You're still too weak to be up just yet!" with calm reassurance as he adjusted to wrap one arm about Shar's shoulders. We're gonna go see outside for a bit, you excited? Let's make a run for it bud, keep bouncing! Through their connection he felt a beaming smile in response and almost wrapped it around himself as he followed his best friend's slow pace.

While he knew that they needed to be a bit faster, he'd had to in the past at least, he couldn't ask her to speed up at all because neither of them was exactly fit for that sort of movement. It didn't matter the situation, his legs wouldn't move any faster than what Shar's were doing at current and he could only chuckle at his inconvenience to her even if he was still beaming with the opportunity. Only Shar would come and liberate him from the Healers after all!

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Yulan's laughter was echoed with her trumpets, each one short and staccato as she timed the noise with her hops. Bossu ended up in a little heap as well and she used that moment to gain some ground on him, but he was back at it again a moment later. Yulan might have been faster running but she was much smaller than her brother already and his legs - although stunted - were longer than hers, giving him more distance with his pounces. But she didn't give up, hopping along happily and slowly eating up the distance between them.

Don't go easy on me, dear brother, she teased as she drew within striking distance. One final hop and she launched herself at Bossu's kinked tail, front legs reaching for the forked tip. She latched on carefully, mindful of her sharp claws, and gave a bugle of victory before letting go.

Got you! Now you're it! she cheered, veering off to the left with a bound to get some space between her and Bossu before he could turn. He was bigger, yes, and his 'strides' were longer, but she was still agile and quick.

Shar watched the dragons out of the corner of her eye as R'iz made his shaky way out from between the beds. Once he slung his arm over her shoulders she made sure to keep her own arm firmly around his waist, shifting from gripping the back of his robe to a more firm hold on his hip. Together they made their slow but steady way to the doorway where their dragons were already heading.

Yulan, keep an eye out for any healers that might be coming and let us know so we can try to hide, Shar told her dragon. The little green glanced over her shoulder at her rider, an amused but delighted warmth wrapping around Shar's mind in reply. Yulan turned her attention to what lay ahead of her as she bounded out of the wing, turning left after looking both ways. So far the coast was clear.

"It snowed the other day so we'll have to stick to pathways," Shar said as they made their slow escape. They couldn't be gone too long if only because R'iz was definitely weak and not dressed for the cold, but she was hellbent on getting him some fresh air at the very least and a look at the sky. She knew what it was like to be cooped up and it wasn't fun.

"So, I see you're still all wrapped up. How on Pern are you eating?" she asked, looking up at R'iz's bandaged face. Clearly his jaw was injured so they were keeping it immobile but she couldn't figure out how he was eating. Maybe through a straw? Either way she knew he couldn't respond, but it was time for a little payback for having him sic his dragon on her.

"And I'd like to remind you you never tried to spring me out of the healer's grasp when I was laid up a few months ago," she said with a little huff as if it offended her. When Shar had been in the hospital wing she'd been fighting for her life from the illness that had swept through the Weyr and honestly, she thanked her lucky stars every day that she had pulled through. It had been iffy there for a while and she'd been out for a few days cold, but as she slowly started to recover and become lucid she had enjoyed every single minute of the agony and boredom if only because it meant she had survived.

Hattaki

 

[Hattaki]

With a rather undignified squeak that would have made just about anyone laugh at him if they'd been present to see it, Bossuth nearly jolted out of his skin when Yulan grabbed his tail. Now he knew how this sort of 'tag' thing worked then, but he hadn't had many others than the healers and R'iz touch his tail before, why would anyone want to? Swishing it nervously as he stopped in place and gave Yulaniath a head start the little bronze marveled that his sister was just so fast. Incredibly fast! Rolling his bulky shoulders he started to bounce after her and his eyes quickly switched from the yellow that they'd become when she touched his kinked up tail to bright blue/green once more as if it had never happened, he had to get used to things as his rider told him!

I won't go easy on you, but you should run faster! he chirped a bit as she twisted away from him and it took all his concentration not to get left in the dust. Yet it still happened, not like he was in the best of shape after spending most of his days simply laying around or walking about the healers wing. With those thoughts he felt a gentle calm press into him from his rider and knew that it was okay no matter what, because it was a game! Whatever that was, but he was playing it with his sister and that was what mattered, not what the game was or winning. Just playing.

Course R'iz had never 'played' in his life either, but he could appreciate that his dragon was as he leaned against Shar and tried to keep pace with her stronger steps, concerned about her limp despite himself. Sure his steps were shaky but that was simply because of how much blood he'd lost and how long he'd been off them, which didn't seem substantial but apparently it was more than he'd thought. What he couldn't have counted on or even answered were all her questions that suddenly seemed suspiciously like revenge.

With his free hand he made a cup and straw like motion, hoping she might understand what that meant, but everything had been some sort of mashed puree of something that had become an amorphous blob over the time. In fact he couldn't even fully remember what it was that he'd actually eaten even though they'd described it to him when they brought it, but he'd been doing almost nothing other than sleeping since he'd gotten there.

At her statement that he'd not tried to get her out of the healers he turned to glare at her from the only eye he could because his best friend had nearly died. Not that she'd remembered almost dying, in fact most of her time had been like the time he'd been spending here recently, none of it awake. In Shar's case though she'd been massively out of it when he'd come to visit her, when he'd drug her in there with concern bordering on tears in his eyes and begged the healers to help her. Every day he'd spent there hoping that the first person he'd connected with and really the only one he'd known for quite some time would survive and now she was grumpy that he hadn't taken her out into the sun when she was dying?

You can make it up to her now by saying thank you! R'iz says thank you! Bossuth parroted to Shar from the depths of his rider's thoughts, not ones he'd been intending to actually have voiced so innocently and bluntly by a bouncing baby bronze.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

I'm going as fast as I can, Yulan said with a laugh, bouncing this way and that rather than in a straight line both so she could keep her lead on Bossuth and so their slower humans could keep up. She did keep an eye out for healers or anyone else that might get them in trouble as she hopped out into the hallway but the coast was clear as far as she could see and smell.

This way, Bossuth! Yulan bounded off down the hallway again from the direction she and Shar had come from, knowing the way and thus feeling more confident in her near reckless charging ahead. She glanced over her shoulder to trumpet encouragement towards Bossu, now traveling in a straight line so he'd have a better chance of catching her. It was only fun when you could change who was 'it' after all!

Shar watched R'iz as he mimed a cup and a straw and wrinkled her nose. Surely whatever he was drinking wasn't nice to the taste but at least he was getting some sort of food in him. She'd have to find out what he wanted the most for the day he could eat again and make sure she snagged some from the dining hall to bring to him if he was still under the care of the healers.

"Baby food, eh? Gross," she said with a slightly sympathetic, slightly teasing laugh. "Bet you can't wait to bite into a nice piece of roast. I could smell the feast from the wing and Yulan almost went to go get me some of the food from the tables." It had been near torture to be able to hear and smell everything going on at the feast after the hatching, but she had been laid up while the healers had tried to stitch together her wound somehow. The skin had been far too torn to attempt pulling it over the bone, so they had simply bandaged it up as best they could while changing the dressing hourly to ensure the wound scabbed over, but not to the gauze. It had been and exhausting few days being woken up at all hours to do so.

The glare she got from R'iz had her grinning like the cat that caught the canary, knowing full well he had been in no position to help her escape as she'd been in no position to leave. It was one thing to be physically injured and helped out, it was another to have an illness that made her so weak she had barely been able to open her eyes. The message from Bossuth made her snicker softly as she shook her head, the dragon's words and his rider's face not matching at all.

"Yes, that's definitely what a 'thank you' expression looks like," she said as they finally slipped out of the healer's wing and into the hallway. The temperature was a bit cooler and Shar knew that their little escape couldn't last too long lest R'iz shiver his stitches out, but they could stretch their legs together a bit at least.

"So, they give you a time frame on when you'll be back in the dorms? I know it's only been a week but it looks like they've got the wounds under control." His jaw would certainly take the longest to heal and he'd need some serious physical therapy after the fact to get his jaw muscles working properly again, but she knew her friend was a fighter and that he'd work hard to be back in form as soon as he could. She was eager to have him in class again as the past few days that she'd been in lectures and classes it had been a little odd not having her usual seat buddy to sit next to.

Hattaki