Barry
******

"I was told she was here and came to check up on her to see if she was
okay," the elderly healer told Merissa when he'd found her in the hall. 

Standing next to her was one of the tallest men Barry had ever seen. Right
up there with Pa'gan... 

"Have you met Oldreth yet Barry?" the girl asked, putting off telling him
about the girl for a few minutes longer while introductions were made. 

"You'll have to come by the shop sometime when you're in need of new
clothing," the tailor told the man. "I'm sure I still have a few things that
might fit you with a few alterations. My adopted daughter Shawnee made the
pattern up to fit Pa'gan with cloths to wear. She was a good friend of his
and his mate, Aradia."

"Aradia being Xanthia's sister was she not?" the big man asked. "So Xanthia
and this Shawnee are good friends?"

"No..." Barry signed slightly. He didn't understand quite why Shawnee
wouldn't see the girl. He knew it had something to do with how much she was
missing her friend, but he would have thought she'd want to get to know the
girl... to be close to something of her friend. But in fact the opposite was
true. 

Shawnee wanted no part of being friends with the girl. 

"I wouldn't say they were friends," Barry told them. "I don't think she's
quite over the loss of her friend just yet. She and Aradia were as close as
sister's in some ways. She still misses her."

He turned back to Merissa, hoping to change the subject.

"Now. You were about to tell me why Moira was brought here," he reminded
them. "I know she wasn't hurt during the battle and what happened next... so?"

"Well she's had quite a shock Barry and I think she's going to need a few
days to think about it and try to deal with it," the younger woman told him
and saw him frown.

"What kind of shock?"

"It seems her father used to be a rider here in Whiteriver and she's just
found out he died some time ago and she never knew." Merissa told him all
that she had just learned. 

"That's sad," his frown smoothed out into lines of compassion for the girl.
He knew losing someone was never easy. "But she doesn't need to be alone
right now. That's the worse thing for her."

"How can you say that? Of course she needs to be alone. She needs time to heal."

"No.. what she needs is to be around people who care about her and will be
there to offer comfort if she needs or wants it." he countered. "She doesn't
need to be alone, where she'll keep dwelling on the what ifs and maybes that
weren't done back then."

"Barry she just lost her father!"

"No she lost him a long time ago," he said knowingly. "Today a young girls
dream died. But she'll get over that a lot quicker than if she had found him
and lost him now."

Merissa frowned and looked at him as if never really seeing him before.
"Barry how can you say that? I never thought you to be so uncaring before."

He reached out and placed his hands on her shoulder.

"It's because I do care that I say these things young lady," the look in his
old eyes was sad. "I care about each and everyone of the young people you
place in my care when you send them to work with me. They become to me like
the children I never had, and I care for them just as any parent would.
Moira, needs family around her right now. I know from talking to her that
she's lonely and in need of love. she needs to learn that people can love
her just for being herself."

"She's told you that?" 

He shook his head.

"Not in so many words," he said. "But I've gotten good at reading behind
what people don't say more than what they do say.... Just as you yourself
do. One of these days young lady, you're going to have to realize that
people love you because of who you are. Not because of who your mother is.
Personally I can't see that woman as the mother of a sweet child like you."

Merissa was quiet for a moment while she thought over the things he had
said. Then...

"What do you want to do?"

"I want to take her on back to my home for a few days until she feels a
little better. She can share Fawna's room with her for a few days until Saul
and Shawnee find a bigger place for three dragons. I want to be there for
her if she needs to cry, rave, rant... whatever."

"Well I'll ask her and see what she has to say." 

[Tag Rhi: Barry's home is open... and he's good at giving comforting hugs.]

Barry stood there for a few minutes talking to Oldreth after Merissa had
gone into Moira's room. His eye caught sight of another of his children down
the hall and he excused himself to follow after Ashelle as she started to
make her way out of the med center. 

He called out her name and saw her turn back to face him. That was when he
noticed the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. 

"You know child... I'm always there if you need to talk to someone," he
reminded her. "Just because you have a dragon to look after now, I don't
want you to think you've been forgotten."

[this can happened anytime... feel free to add to it if you want :) ]

*****Submitted by: *****

Barbara (who just felt like writing it after reading Rhi's post]

Barry (the tailor) 
Whiteriver Warren