** Hatchling barracks **

>"I heard about what Elissa said this morning, Xanthia..."  Katla smiled,
>"...and don't you believe it.  You're a good healer and you'll be a great
>dragonrider."

Xanthia shook her head slowly, "I don't know..." her voice was filled with
self-doubt.

"Really, you will. Hey, nobody expected I'd ever be a dragonrider, but I
did it. It'll be the same for you. And you did well by me after..."

Xanthia would never know if Katla was going to finish her sentence or not
because they were interrupted at that moment by a soft knock on the door,
followed by the entrance of Ashelle.

>  "Umm, Xanthia?  I need your help, if you aren't too busy?"  She held out
>her arm which was bleeding a bit from a rather long scratch.
>
>  "I got clutsy, and tripped after feeding Oaklah, and she moved because I
>startled her..she got me with one of her claws.  It's not all that bad,
>but it hurts."
>
Xanthia blinked, surprised, wondering why Ashelle didn't just go to the med
center. "Didn't you hear what she said about me? She doesn't trust me..."
Xanthia stammered, referring to the incident with Elissa that morning at
training.

>  Ashelle grinned.  "Well..*I* do.  We're both riders after all.  If
>riders can't trust each other, then when we fly together, there will be
>problems.  I trust you, Xanthia...and Maxima..with my life and that of my
>dragon.  Won't you help, please?"

Xanthia frowned and looked from Ashelle to Katla for some sign of what to
do.

"Go help your friend, you'll do fine," Katla reassured the redhead, and
stood up, leaning on the crutches. "I need to be off anyhow."

"How are your legs?" Xanthia asked the disabled girl, "Any spasms today?"

"No, but I will come see you if I do," Katla smiled. "See you are a good
healer. You care, which is the main requirement for anyone of the healing
arts. You take good care of Katla's arm," and with that she left the two
trainees alone in the room.

"Sit down, let me see that," Xanthia told Ashelle, pulling out her healer's
bag from under her bed.

Xanthia examined the scratch, it was a good deep scratch, and if not
cleaned out and dressed could get infected. She took a clean gauze pad and
saturated it with alcohol and began cleaning it out.

"Ouch!" Ashelle grimaced at the sting of the liquid on her wound.

"Sorry, have to get it clean first," Xanthia explained. She put away the
alcohol and brought out a jar of ointment, an herbal mixture with
antibiotic properties as well as being a mild topical anesthetic. She
carefully applied it to the injury, "This will make it feel better, and
help fight infection."

"Thanks, Xanthia," Ashelle smiled, "Feels better already"

***

** Med center, After dinner with Th'rin & Merissa **

"What are you doing here? You should be resting" B'ril chastised Xanthia,
even though he himself should have long since gone home.

"Want to check on Trinale, heard she fell." Xanthia said. She was still
wearing her party dress, it being her favorite article of clothing she was
loath to take it off.

"Oh, okay, but just for a few minutes," B'ril conceded, secretly hoping
that having another telepath in the room would be therapeutic to the
injured warrenlady.

Xanthia walked in the room unannounced as usual. Trinale was sleeping
quietly and Xanthia, ever the healer, checked her pulse as she slept.

<Xanthia, my rider won't answer me!> Cricket cried to her. <I can feel her,
but not talk to her. I can't touch her mind!>

Tentatively Xanthia sent a probe to the queenrider, <Trinale, can you hear
me? Trinale wake up!>

There was no response. Xanthia squeezed Trinale's hand and the queenrider
opened her eyes.

"Cricket says she can't hear you, and you can't hear her," Xanthia said
with a frown.

<Can you hear me?> Xanthia sent to the queenrider again, and awaited a
response.

"Can you hear my thoughts?" Xanthia said aloud when she didn't receive any
type of oral or mental reply from Trinale.

"No... not you, not anyone... not even Cricket!" Trinale dissolved into
tears.

Xanthia stood quietly for several minutes, her face devoid of all emotion
but confusion, not knowing what to do or feel.

<Don't just stand there, says something reassuring.> Maxima prompted.

<Like what?> Xanthia asked.

<Um... ask how you can help,> Maxima offered,

"Trinale, what can I do to help?" Xanthia said uncomfortably.

"Just sit and talk to me, please."

"B'ril, he said I shouldn't stay long."

"Just a few minutes, please." Trinale begged.

"What do you want me to talk about?" Xanthia asked, clueless where to
begin. Conversation was far from being her strong suit.

"Anything... Tell me about your day," Trinale suggested.

So Xanthia began to prattle on detailing everything that happened to her
that day while Trinale listened.

"... And then when I went to Th'rin's and Merissa's, and played with
Oberon. You know, Oberon can talk to me."

"Talk to you?" Trinale chuckled.

"Yes, with his mind. Like the dragons and like you..."

*********

NRPG: Tag Kat... ;) Xanthia means well, but often says the wrong thing at
the wrong time. You said to have fun with it, so...  ;)
                \=/,         _-===-_-====-_-===-_-==========-_-====-_
                |  @___oo   (    Submitted by:                        )
      /\  /\   / (___,,,}_--=    Jacqueline "Morgan" Allgood          )
     ) /^\) ^\/ _)        =__                                          )
     )   /^\/   _)          (_                                         )
     )   _ /  / _)            (      Danika/Kalindeth of Daere        )
 /\  )/\/ ||  | )_)            (_    Xanthia/Maxima of Whiteriver     )
<  >      |(,,) )__)             (   Kattibrie/Calishandra of Telnor )
 ||      /    \)___)\             (_ Yasmine/Starlin of Marrid       )
 | \____(      )___) )___           -==-_____-=====-_____-=====-___==
  \______(_______;;; __;;;