A New Life (open)

[hrsegrl]

Evening was the best time of day, if you asked Lara. That and early morning. Any time when it was dimly lit. Since the Hatching Larissa was having a hard time fitting in anywhere. Even before then she had a low self esteem. Now the blonde was increasingly self conscious. She sometimes wished the Gold had killed her rather than ruin the one thing everyone valued in her. Beauty may only be skin deep, but that was far enough.

She sat down, in a chair next to the night hearth, patiently sipping at an herbal remedy for the pain she still retained in her leg. Slowly she had been weaning herself off of it. Healing was a slower process than most people could handle. Larissa however was fully capable of patience. She was recovering at the rate she should be and doing as the Healers bid her do. She would be able to do most things with her leg that she used to be able to if she continued to do as she was told.

Lara had never been one to disobey. She simply wished things could be the way they were. The simple truth was, if she hadn't stood for the Hatching, she wouldn't be like this. If she would have stood up to her mother and said she didn't want to stand, she could have avoided everything. Dwelling on the past was obviously not going to help much. The present was painful and embarrassing. What good could the future possibly bring her?

[rosieposey]

Etrayth was sleeping after a long day of weyrling training, and A'dril was taking the time to get a snack in the dining hall. As Etrayth grew, he was able to be away from his rider for longer periods of time, but A'dril still hated to leave the blue alone for long. He was shy and uncertain of himself, and A'dril wanted him to feel secure.

In the kitchen, he poured himself a cup of tea and took a leftover piece of pie from dinner. It looked comfortable by the hearth, and he headed there. He noticed Larissa, and while her situation made him a little uncomfortable, he wasn't one to turn away from someone like that. He sat down nearby, smiling at her.

"Hi, Larissa. How are you doing?" He asked. It was hard to tell in the dim light, but he thought it looked as if she had recovered some since the Hatching.

[hrsegrl]

The klah in her mug was slowly cooling as she took another sip. Larissa was not completely depressed; she still had people who cared about her. That was important especially to her. Many of the other Candidates who had impressed had visited her in the infirmary. Even her own mother had visited her. Lara figured people would pity her but it seemed more of them were simply concerned for her well being.

A'dril was a prime example of such a person. He seemed a little unsure of what he was going to say but Larissa knew that her situation made people uncomfortable. When he sat near her, she knew he was going to say something. Most people found it awkward to sit in silence. The blonde smiled a little half smile in his direction, acknowledging that he was speaking to her.

“Good evening A’dril. I’m doing well.” Most people looked at her a second time when she said that. “And I’m not just saying that so that you won’t ask me if I’m feeling okay. The Healers say I’m progressing and healing as planned.” Her face would always be scarred and so would her leg. At least she would be able to walk normally again.

“How has Weyrling training been? Is your little blue still clinging to your side at every opportunity?” Larissa only knew these sorts of things from the other Weyrlings. She knew D’wyr fairly well and a couple of the others. Even Laszreen spoke with her on occasion though recently the new Goldrider had been too busy to chat long enough to get into the details of the other Weyrlings. “I love the color of blues. They are always so beautiful to look on.”

While Larissa had no intention of ever standing for a dragon ever again, she did have a rare firelizard. Only one of four at Igen and he was a charming little brown. Very lazy but also very protective of her. Cymmi slept comfortably curled up in her lap. Sometimes he was the first thing people noticed when they saw her, other times no one even noticed.

[rosieposey]

A'dril nodded, a faint smile showing that he was pleased to hear she was really doing well. He had never been in a situation like hers, and wasn't sure how he would deal with it if he was. He admired her for having the strength to pull through and come out of the ordeal relatively normal, even. To him, a lack of mental scars outweighed any number of physical scars.

"Weyrling training is an experience, that's for sure. Always learning something new." His smile brightened; he always loved to talk about his weyrlinghood. "Estrayth's getting better, but he still seems shy. I guess it's just his nature." A'dril shrugged, not really concerned by his dragon's introverted nature. Etrayth was perfect to him, no matter what.

"Hmm, yes. Blues are my favorite color, I think, but I'm terribly biased. And Estrayth's hide is such a nice bright shade. The poor thing only wants to blend in, but it's hard with that hide of his!" He chuckled, practically bursting with pride as he spoke of his dragon. Realizing he was probably talking to much, he cleared his throat and glanced at the brown on Larissa's lap. "And how's your little flitter doing?"