Scored and Scared {Assaila}

[Zirin]

The sky was dark and a strong wind had blown in in recent hours. Despite the incoming storm, the day seemed to be rather uneventful; an average day at Trelis, all in all. At least, it WAS a normal day until a ear-ringing scream echoed through the air as a brown dragon blinked from between, his wings immediately flailing to catch air as his body plummetted towards the Weyrbowl. They had simply been visiting the southern continent to visit relatives, J'degar hadn't realized that Thread would be falling there that afternoon. Syphraelth's wings managed to catch air in time to soften their landing, though even still the large brown skidded to a halt on the ground, his wings immediately going limp as he bellowed in pain.

"Healer! HEALER!" J'degar called, immediately dropping from the brown's neck to begin applying to small amount of numbweed he had while trying to assess just how bad the scoring was. Of course, he could feel the pain his dragon was in, but of that pain, which was Syphraelth's and which was his? "I NEED A SHARDING HEALER!" He bellowed, ignoring the pain and the blood dripping down the side of his face and shoulder. He didn't matter, Syphraelth did. The wounds were horrid, reaching from the neck ridge down over his brown shoulder and partway down his left leg. Syphraelth roared again, in too much pain to even form words. For once in his life, J'degar was afraid.

[Bellatora]

Assaila looked up at the scream from the sky. A dragon? That couldn't be.... had there been a fight...? Or.... No there hadn't been threadfall. Not here... But... OH Shards! It was Syphraelth! "HEALER! HEALER! COME QUICK!" Assaila ran as fast as she could, holding her skirts up in one hand and running towards the infirmary. "Please! Come quick! Syphraelth and J'degar are injured! They need help immediately!" She didn't care who it was at this point. But someone had to come. She was impatient and desperate. Not that she would hurry things along if the hurt dragon did not....

She was running to the Bowl now. "Gar! Syph!" She shouted as she ran to them, immediately going to Gar and trying to get him to stay still. "Gar! I brought the Healers! You need to let them work! GAR! Stop! You're hurting yourself!" She was doing her best... but she was near tears herself now... no... she was in tears... She was kneeling on the ground, grabbing at J'degar in attempt to make him stop.... to make him calm down... "J'degar!" She looked at Syph. Oh... "Syphraelth...." she said in a hoarse whisper.... and noticed then that Annaliese was there.

The girl was staring in horror at the injured dragon. "Syph! NO! You can't get hurt again! Please, Syph...." she said in her little child's voice, kneeling beside him beside a healer and grabbing some numbweed, starting to gently massage it onto the brown's wounded hide as she saw the healers doing.

Daedra frowned. "Little girl, what do you think you're doing."

"I'm helping Syph and Papa! Let me help!" Daedra blinked. "You can help... but gently..." She would have to see about getting this one trained... Meanwhile, another healer was helping them with Syph... And another coming down to try to help Gar himself, though Assaila was doing her best as well. Oh... Gar... Gar... He and Syphraelth had to be okay. They just had to....

[Zirin]

Syphraelth thrashed about in pain, the agpny evident in his pained screeches. The Thread had come from no where, a rogue gust of wind; neither rider nor dragons had seen it until it was too late. The ride btween had never felt longer, and for one quick, heart-wrenching moment, J'degar thought that had gone between for ever. The site of Trelis had never been a bigger relief.

"Syph, SYPH STAY STILL!" He held onto the brown's hide as the dragon thrashed, using every ounce of willpower he had to sooth the beast. He didn't know when others had shown up. One minute he had been clinging on, trying desperately to dumb the pain, and the next Assaila was pulling at him, trying to take him away from Syphraelth. He ripped his arm away, wincing at his own injuries as he went back to working on the injury.

"Stay away girl!" He yelled. Syphraelth was thrashing less, but that didn't mean he wouldn't accidentally hurt someone. And he couldn't leave yet, his dragon needed him! There were tears in his eyes, running to mix with the blood, but both went unnoticed as he tried desperately to continue helping, though the healers had already set to work by then.

Mine... Mine... it hurts... I want to stop it... J'degar's eyes shot open. "Don't you dar Syph! you stay right there! DON'T YOU DARE BETWEEN!!" The brown had shifted, trying to stand, but his leg gave way and the brown found himself grounded, though the movement had sent Gar stumbling towards Assaila. I can't... J'degar didn't know whether to yell in anger, or cry in relief as he felt Syphraelth lose consciousness. Or was that him? Suddenly the world was spinning, and he found himself falling into Assaila.

[Bellatora]

"GAR YOU IDIOT YOU'RE GOING TO BLEED TO DEATH!" She was trying to stop his bleeding and he was shoving her away. Stupid man. He needed to hold onto Syph, but they were already helping... he needed to be looked at before he died. "You stupid idiot..." she whispered, crying in earnest. "Syph.... don't leave us.... Please... don't leave us..." she cried to the dragon. "We need you. Gar needs you." She was talking softly, soothingly. There wasn't much she could do and she just felt... so useless.

Annaliese grabbed hold of Syph as tight as she could when he tried to get up, unlike some of the healers who took a step back. "NO! YOU AREN'T LEAVING US Syph! Papa needs you!" She was clinging to him with one hand and doing her best to apply numbweed and stop the bleeding with the other. But she was just a little untrained eight-turn old.

Daedra frowned. Mrith. Get down here and bring the nearest healer. We're gonna need more help than what we got. Mrith didn't bother answering, but rather did precisely as asked immediately. She glided down to the 'bowl and settled near to Syph crooning softly to him a steady song as her rider worked and the newest arrival slipped from her back and rushed over to the dragon. The dragon and teh rider were both in great need of help... but... the dragon. They needed the dragon.

Assaila caught onto Gar, holding him close to her and kissing him gently several times, but then she turned and grabbed for what she could use to help him. She was trying to rub numb weed into his wounds. He had to be okay. "You will be okay.... Syph will be okay. I know it... Gar... Gar..." she whispered again and again.

She felt tears streaming down her face... she was doing her best.... to hold it together for the two of them. For all of them. Anori was sitting on the ground, chirping at Syph. Chirping for him to try to get him to listen. Trying to get his attention.

[Zirin]

Syphraelth whimpered as Mrith settled beside him, the feel of the green in his mind doing wonders to calm him, not that he could really move much anymore... the wounds hurt so much and he felt too weak to fight it. Little one... was all the brown could manage as his body shuddered in another bout of pain. He finally stilled, though the grey of his hide and the quickly whirling eyes showed just how tired he really was. The numbweed was doing wonders, but some of his wounds would need to be wrapped, and there was a rather nasty section of hide that might need to be sewn.

J'degar groaned, his eyes half lidded and glazed from the pain. He barely registered Assaila's words, and the kisses she gave him went almost unnoticed. As she turned away from him, he fell; his legs didn't want to support him anymore, and he dropped to his knees. Everything came to him then. The yelled commands of the healers, the loud whimpers from Syphraelth. The word 'papa' echoed in his mind and he found himself lying down, Assaila spreading numbweed here and there. Assaila... he could hear her speaking now, now that the numbweed was starting to dull the pain.

"Sshh..." It was so quiet, as if the word would break the line that was keeping everything together right now. He reached a shaky hand up to cup her cheek, a band hanging from his wrist, his thumb running to wipe a tear from her cheek, though he only managed to smear blood across her cheek. "You make it look like I'm dying..." He forced a smile to show how strong he was.

[Bellatora]

Mrith crooned to the brown softly, settling beside him and spreading her wings to provide some shade for those working on that particular side. She was quiet for the most part.

"Syph... Oh Syph," Annaliese said, rubbing in more numbweed. "I love you Syph," she told him, gently and lovingly stroking the brown hide. She hoped that he would be okay. She hoped that he was going to be alright. Make a full recovery.

"J'degar... oh... J'degar. You are not leaving me." She told him fiercely, grabbing hold of his hand. "you idiot. You look like your dying." She told him, though it wsa meant to be fierce, her tone lacked the ability to make it as such. She pulled him up slightly, propping him against her, not caring about the blood she would end up wearing and shouted ill-tempered at yet another healer who was on their way to come attend to Gar immediately. "I love you..." she whispered to him in his ear. "I love you, Gar... Don't leave me..." She held onto one of his hands, the hand which had the band she had given. He had worn it... Oh... He needed as saving grace and she was determined she was going to make sure he survived. "You aren't going to die... My big strong man." She kissed his forehead gently.

Once dragon and rider were stable... the healers decided to try to move them... Though moving J'degar was much easier than moving the large brown... Assaila never let them out of her site, though... Annaliese stayed with Syph. She was not leaving him even for a minute apparently and Daedra had agreed to watch the girl and teach her a little about healing... Assaila wanted to be with Gar...

She was holding his hand and singing softly, still crying. She wore his blood on her... and on her face... But he looked better... He would be okay. She knew he would. She leaned down and kissed him again. She had never been so scared in her life...

[Zirin]

J'degar winced. Did he really look that bad? He couldn't look, didn't want to. He had never experienced something so excrutiatingly painful before. Her telling him he was dying stung a little. "You'd make... a horrible healer," He tried to joke, giving short laugh that quickly fell into a groan of pain. "It's... just a scratch..." He didn't want to see her looking so desperate, so sad.. for him of all people. He had never been truly kind to her.

"Sshh... shh..." He murmured as she helped him sit and kissed his forehead. He wasn't going anywhere just yet. He had too many promises to keep still, and a duty to fulfill. She knew that... didn't she? He had promised her, he wouldn't go back on that. How could he make her understand? He could feel sleep trying to take over, and he wanted to give in so desperately. "Ssh...Assai...la..." He pulled her hand close, pressing it against his lips as sleep wrapped its arms around him.

---

J'degar groaned as the pain hit him, blinking eyes open slowly in confusion. It took a moment to register that he was in the infirmary. He groaned again; his head was pounding, well... everything was really. He felt like he hadn't slept in forever, though in truth it had likely only been a day or two. He tried to sit up, but a sudden spike of pain throughout his body forced him to lie back down.

"Fellis..."

[Bellatora]

"That's why you're the leader and I'm not," she told him, smiling softly and cradling him gently against her. "You are going to be alright.... I know you are... but just rest... Just rest, Assistant Weyrlingmaster... Rest and heal..." she told him, gently rubbing numbweed into his wounds again. She held onto him, held onto his hand until they moved him... but even then, she didn't leave him... And Annaliese.... The little girl looked at her mom with eyes that were red rimmed from crying. "Papa will be okay... won't he...?" she asked her mother. Assaila smiled and nodded. "He's a big strong man, Annaliese... and he promised to take care of you.... he'll be alright... Are you going to come or stay with Syph." Annaliese looked at the big brown. "I'm staying with Syph... He needs someone very badly...." Assaila smiled and watched her daughter before quickly trying to catch up with J'degar.

She hadn't left him for more than a few minutes.... when forced to she would, of course. But she was very fierce about his care. She would ensure he got the best. She was depending on him in so many ways. More ways than she cared to admit. She trusted him... and no matter how gruff he was or how nasty he coudl be from time to time... he had no idea the kindness he had shown her over the time they had known each other. How could he possibly know...

--- --- --- --- ---

Assaila sat up as Gar tried to sit up. She had fallen asleep sitting in a chair next to Gar's bed, her head leaning on the bed beside him. "Gar," she said, reaching for a glass on the bedside table. "Here..." she said softly. her eyes were red rimmed and she looked tired and probably a bit pale. But she had been very insistent on being there to help care for him... though she did her best not to be under foot and she also took the time to check on Syph. The poor brown had a new collection of scars yet again... he was such a great brown as well. Annaliese certainly loved him... The girl had spent a lot of time with Syph, but also had come to visit J'degar who she had taken to calling "Papa". Which... honestly Assaila wasn't sure what Gar thought of that. Assaila felt a single tear slip down her cheek as she looked at Gar with a smile lighting her face.

"You were right. You are here, safe, and recovering..." she said in a brief whisper as she reached out to help him sit up to help him get something to drink. "The healers say you need to get water in you... but they also gave you something for the pain...." She held the cup out to him in case he did not want her having to help him drink as well. She was quiet. Very quiet indeed. She felt like she had almost lost him... in fact... she could have quite easily lost him...

[Zirin]

It took a moment, but the memories of his desperate trip to Trelis came back. He looked to the side, seeing Assaila for the first time since waking up. "Syphraelth...?" He said, or at least tried to say, his throat felt so parched that his voice cracked as he tried to speak. He moved to grab the cup, after being helped up, wincing each time his muscles moved. He felt sluggish and slow, but the promise of relief in that glass was to much to give up. With a shaky hand he took the glass and raised it to his lips. Some of the drink dribbled down his chin as his hand shook from the effort. The cool, refreshing taste of water felt better than anything he could remember.

"I told you," His voice still cracked, but there was a weak smile on his face. He was alive, at least he thought he was, and though sleeping, the mind of his dragon was also very much alive. "I feel... like a dragon landed on me..." He groaned, looking at all the bandages that were wrapped around his arm, shoulder and it seemed like part of his leg as well... and from the throbbing in his head he had no doubt that there was an injury there too. Just thinking about it hurt and J'degar was forced to close his eyes until the pain passed.

Assaila really did look terrible... had she not slept recently? How long had he been out? He gave her a concerned look. "You... look terrible."

[Bellatora]

"Is going to make a full recovery.... eventually. You will both be out for awhile." She finished his statement for him, watching him carefully as he drank. "You still need more rest..." He wasn't a particularly light man, quite honestly... It took a little bit of effort for her to help him sit up so that he could drink, but she did her best not to show it. When he had finished, she took the cup and very gently laid him back against the pillow behind him... or at least she intended to.

"I am glad to say a dragon did not land on you. But the way you vaulted of Syphraelth with your injuries, your lucky you didn't make them too much worse than they were." She sighed and reached over, gently laying her hand on his. "You scared me near half to death..." she admitted softly. "Anna has so much faith, though... I am certain you and Syph terrified her at first... She's being apprenticed as a healer now... thanks to the help she gave Syphraelth and because the Healers decided that it best she were trained if she was going to be so determined to help him." She was quiet for a long moment, gently stroking his hand. She knew she didn't look particularly great... but... well...

She crossed her arms and looked at him with a slight frown. "Is that any way to talk to the woman who has stayed by your side for the past three days! Shards, Gar!" She sighed. She had spent very little if any of that time sleeping, instead devoting as much time as she could to helping or watching or just being with him... Trying to monitor the fever that was his body trying to make sure that no infection got to it... She sat down somewhat heavily and laid her head on the edge of the bed again, her hand still on his. "Three very long days just waiting for you to wake up..." she whispered, closing her hand over his. She hoped he never scared her like that again... but the likelihood he would be injured again.... well... it was higher than she would like...

[Zirin]

THe news of Syphraelth's health was better medicine than anything the healers could give him. He gave a sigh of relief and let Assaila take the cup back. Laying him back down, however, was not as easy as she probably wanted.

"I'm fine woman! I - " He tried to move and winced again before grumbling and allowing her to lie him back down. Shards he hated the infirmary, and being bed ridden... not to mention be cared for by a silly woman. "He needed me." Was his simple reasoning for endangering his own life. A rider didn't tend to worry about himself when his dragon was in pain. He hadn't even known he was injured until they had dragged him away from the brown.

"Healer huh... that's... that's good," He nodded tiredly. It hurt to speak a but, but he truly did approve of the healercraft for a girl. It was a good, safe place, she'd be easy to protect there... if he could ever get out of this sharding bed.

"Th... three days?" He groaned. There would be so much paperwork! He sighed again, already feeling the effects of the medication working its way through his body. He gave a tired smile as she berated him. "There's the Assaila I know..." He chuckled lightly, trying not to cause himself more pain in the process. "Always berating me for one thing or another." J'degar's hand twitched as hers closed over it, but he didn't say anything. He could hardly get mad at her for caring. He would have to tell her sometime that the fact Syphraelth was still here meant J'degar wasn't going anywhere, but his drowsy mind couldn't quite come up with the right wording. Every time he tried, memories of Syphraelth screaming came to mind, and Annaliese calling him...

"Papa huh..." He mused. When had she started calling him that?

[Bellatora]

"Gar! You need to rest! you're going to make yourself bleed more and then we're just going to have to change your bandages earlier! Lie down! Idiot! Just lie back down!" She was getting irritated with him already. Well... maybe that was a good thing. "I suppose someone who isn't a rider can't fully understand... but I know he needed you... I'm sorry Gar... for trying to pull you away... you were so covered in blood...." She sighed. It had been frightening.

"They say she shows talent and promise already... The Weyrhealer was very Impressed..." she was, of course, speaking of the Master Dragon Healer residing at Trelis... but she wasn't really in the mood to fight over rank or even quibble about it for a moment. She was tired and irritable and it showed in her eyes. She would sleep right there. But she wasn't leaving him right now...

"Yes... three days. And don't go worry about paperwork or work in general right now! you need to rest! If you are that worried about it, I will bring some of it to you. Tomorrow. This is your first day of being actually conscious and I'm not about to let you spend it trying to do paperwork!" She gave him a glare. Oi. He was so hard to deal with... well... most of the time... but then there were those times where he could be so kind and even... loving... Though he would probably deny that those times existed.

"Hmmm?" Assaila said, sitting up, her hand still loosely holding onto his. Oh yes.... that was right. Anna had called Gar Papa. Well... she knew the why... but she really didn't know the when...

[Zirin]

Gar winced as she started yelling at him. Her loud voice was NOT helping his headache at all. "Geez, are you trying to kill me?" He placed a hand against his head, trying to massage the uninjured side, though it didn't help to alleviate the pain at all. "Klah...?" He grumbled, realizing he needed a good mug of the stuff. He couldn't help but wonder how much of his headache was due to withdrawl... three days without klah, he hadn't done that in a long, long time.

"I suppose we should celebrate then," He grinned tiredly, "This little fiasco has done some good." He would have to go congradulate the girl later... when he got out of here. To be in a respectable craft already was quite the accomplishment. At another reprimand J'degar gave a her a look that clearly said 'You're not serious are you?'. "You want me to just lie here all day?" J'degar couldn't laze around that long. There were things to do! He'd been bed-ridden long enough already! For a moment it looked like he was going to fight it and try to rise, but just turning his head hurt. Shards he hadn't messed himself up pretty good. With a deep exhale, J'degar settled back on the pillow and looked sadly at the ceiling.

"I want to see him." To see how bad he was, and to confirm he was okay. Above and beyond, he wanted to answer his own, silent question: Would he fly again? He sighed again, wincing once more. "You need to sleep." He hadn't missed the redness in her eyes.

[Bellatora]

Assaila rose again. "Of course not. Sorry... I suppose I'm a bit irritable..." She sighed and went to the corner, pouringa cup of lukewarm klah she had had earlier and handing it to him. "Not sure adding fellis to this is a good idea right now... not with what they already have given you." She helped him sit up again, but this time, she sat on the bed beside him and let him lean against her to keep himself up. Though... even that was kind of difficult sinceh was much heavier than her which had more to do with the fact he was bigger than her and she was as he put it "pathetically weak".

"I want you to get better, J'degar... You and Syph. And doing paperwork when you need to rest... may not be the best idea in accomplishing that." She gently rested her head against his shoulder tiredly. "Now that you're awake... we can see if they'll let you move to your own weyr. Syph is resting... and he seems to be recovering at a good rate... His wings are undamaged after all that he went through... but his leg is bandaged and stitched." She wanted him to be able to see his dragon... he just wasn't sure how exactly to accomplish that task. It had been a difficult task getting Syphraelth up to his own couch... A very difficult one indeed which had resulted in the need for more bandages and some restitching for the poor brown. He should have stayed somewhere else. Assaila was less than pleased with teh fact that he had been hurt by the move... But she wasn't a rider or healer who knew what to do.

"I'll sleep later..." was all she said, though she was honestly falling asleep right where she was... but she was doing her best not to let him know that. She had slept athis bedside for the past three days and Annaliese had slept near Syphraelth. the little girl was too determiend to make sure that both rider adn dragon made it out of this alive and well... and with her mother already watching over Gar, she wanted to be the one to watch over Syphraelth.

[Zirin]

"Ahhh, that's the good stuff," He sighed as she poured some klah, more than happy to let her move him so he could drink, even if it hurt. He wished there was fellis in it, but she was right; the healers probably had so much of the stuff in him already that more could only be bad. He didn't even argue as she tried to support him, though he couldn't help but worry she would get hurt doing so. "Don't hurt yourself..."

"Paperwork makes a man strong," He joked, moaning contently as the warm klah made its way down his throat. The news of Syphraelth was comforting, but he wouldn't be at ease until he could actually see his dragon, run his hand along that brown hide once more. He supposed just hearing Syphraelth would help put him at ease, but the brown was in a deep sleep and J'degar couldn't bring himself to force him awake.

"I'm surprised the healers are letting you get away with this. Anna would kill me if she knew I let you stay awake." Sentences were coming easier now, his throat didn't scream in protest with every word anymore. He moved his good arm around to cover her eyes with his hand, blocking out the light. "Getting a few hours of sleep isn't going to hurt anyone... I'm not going anywhere..." He kissed the top of her head. Thank you for watching over me, the gesture meant.