DL-D - Helping a friend

	The noise in the barracks woke Jason with a start. Having been up
all night helping Allora, he was a little groggy and disorientated. Thus he
was not impressed when the little group of (still white) dragonettes
traipsed in, leaving a trail behind them.

*Should I ask what you've been doing?* he asked.

<We were helping Regenta find her rider> replied Starfire earnestly.

*And how did that involve getting messed up like that? The warrenlady will
have a fit.* Their conversation was interrupted by a loud scream which
abruptly woke everyone up. A moment later a grey blur streaked out of
T'rell's office and buried itself under the wing of Allora's dragon. Jason
looked across at Allora who was surveying the situation and had the classic
'why me?' expression on her face. They both began to laugh until Starfire
sneezed, billowing flour around the room. Loud complaints followed and even
though it was still dark, there was a general consensus in ordered their
dragons outside to clean up. Seeing the trail they left behind, Jason
sighed. This was going to take a while.

"You seem to be popular this morning, Marialla" he said dryly as she came
out of T'rell's office, looking a little shaken. "You have your own private
search party." She managed a wan smile in reply, obviously preoccupied with
something else. "Are you okay? You don't look so well." 

"I'm fine" she replied, not very convincingly, "just a little tired that's
all." Jason suspected it was something else but didn't reply. As they were
cleaning their dragons he did, however, speak to Allora about it.

"You know her better than I do. Maybe she'll talk to you." Allora promised
she would try. 

*Now what were you doing to get flour all over you?* he asked Starfire, who
was back to his original colour.

<I told you. I was helping Fluffy find Regenta's rider.>

*And if Fluffy asked you to jump off a cliff would you?*

<Why would he do that?> came the puzzled reply, making Jason chuckle.

*Don't worry, it was a poor attempt at humor.* 

<It must be a human thing> Starfire sniffed. 

*Oh? And what else do you classify as being a 'human thing'?*   

<Well,> Starfire told him seriously, <you worry to much about getting
dirty.> 

*I'll remember that next time you want to be cleaned* Jason replied, trying
not to laugh. As Starfire went over to where the other dragonettes were
gathered, Jason sat down next to Allora. 

"Wait until they start to fly" he said with a grin. Allora groaned.

"Don't remind me" she said. "Still, you can never complain of being bored." 

	Somehow, they managed to clean most of the mess up before anyone
noticed, quite a feat since most of thg better?" Marialla looked up and saw
Jason standing in front of her table. It was mid-afternoon and the warren
was strangely silent since the wing had left for Geode.

"Oh, I'm fine" she said 

"Your not very convincing, you know." Marialla sighed.

"No I suppose I'm not." Jason sat down across from her.
	
"So what's on your mind? Yu've been looking like that all day." Jason could
see that she wasn't really listening. "Marialla, you have to stop worrying
about them. Didn't he promise that he'd come back?" 

"But..." she said in a quiet voice, "what if he doesn't?" 

"If you keep thinking like that you will only hurt yourself" he told her
gently. "Is that what T'rell would want?" Her eyes brimmed with tears.

"But what if he doesn't come back? If I loose him......" Jason could tell he
wasn't getting through to her.

"Now stop that Marialla" he told her sharply, her head jerking up in
response to his tone. "Don't you think your being a little selfish here?"
She looked at him blankly. "Are you the only one who risks loosing someone
they care for? This doesn't just affect you, Mari, it affects everyone."

"He didn't have to go" she said fiercely, "someone else could have taken his
place."

"Would T'rell do that?" Jason asked her pointedly. "Would he sit here while
others went and died? You know that's not who he is." She stayed silent.
"Look, I'm not saying that you shouldn't worry about him. Just remember that
you aren't the only person praying that they return safely." Jason stood up.
"You also have a young dragon wo ut you at the moment." He walked off,
leaving Marialla alone with her thoughts.   

"You didn't have to talk to her quite like that you know" remarked Allora,
who had been observing their conversation from the door. Jason shook his
head.

"No, I think it had to be said. The one thing I can't stand is to see
someone wallowing in self pity. In my experience," a haunted look coming
over his face, "they only end up hurting themselves." 

"She does have a right to worry thought."

"I'm not saying that she shouldn't worry" Jason told her, looking back at
Marialla, "but what if he doesn't come back? In her present frame of mind it
would destroy her. As her friend, I won't sit back and let that happen."
With that Jason left in the direction of the hatchling barracks, leaving
Allora to contemplate a side of him that she hadn't seen before.

<Jason?> 

*Yes Star?*

<Regenta said to say thank you.>

NRPG: Possibly you are now over the heart attack that comes with seeing a
post from me arrive :P 

	Submitted by

			Jason and Starfire

	Aka


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__-' {|          \          Michael Turek
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    /       "o.  |o}        lonewolf@rabble.uow.edu.au
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