Day 7 - late evening

The Forge



Peering into the shadows, he saw a form huddled near the anvil.  Listening

closely, he thought he heard some sniffling.  Keeping his voice low, he

spoke, "Hello?  Who is there?"



For a brief second, her heart jumped at the sound of the deep male voice

behind her. Before she had an opportunity to say anything, she realized it

was not the voice she had been praying for.



Sarah sat silently, hoping the stranger would leave if not encouraged. Right

now, the last thing in the world the teacher wanted was empty platitudes.



'Tonio stepped closer when the figure didn't move. "I know you're in there.

Are you okay? Do you need help?"



Brittle, angry laughter filled the empty, dark forge, and he stepped back in

mild alarm. There was a touch of hysteria in the voice. Perhaps this was

something he should call a healer for...



"No, and there's nothing you can do," a soft female voice said from the

shadows when the laughter finally stopped. "He's not coming back."



He stepped closer, not quite recognizing the voice. "I'm sorry."



"Not really," the stranger corrected. "I was the only one who tried to get

to know him at all, and even if he isn't dead, he isn't coming back."



She finally turned so he could see her face in the dim evening light. "He

liked me too much. He'll never come back."



Finally, he recognized her face. "Sarah, I'm sorry." The teacher had a real

affection for their former blacksmith, that everyone could see except him.

His loss must be harder on her than he thought.



'Tinio stepped closer and offered her a hand up. "Is there any way I can

help? Anything?" Sarah shook her head and turned away.



Dropping to one knee beside her, he turned to look in her eyes. "Whatever

you think, Sarah, he didn't leave because of you. It wasn't your fault in

any way."



With another burst of cold, hard laughter, she shrugged. "It doesn't matter

now, I guess, does it," she replied, standing up. Sarah looked down at

'Tonio and smiled artificially. "Good day, sir."



There was no way she could talk to anyone about it. Not yet.



Spinning on her heel, she turned to go.



[tag, chris?]



=====

Day 9, midmorning, Hatching Cavern



"The hatching cavern???" Arri asked.



"Yes, I need you to convince the queens to let me accompany you in."



"Why?"



"You need to rebond with Daetyn. And for the good of both of you, it needs

to be more than a mental presence. She needs to see you as you tell her that

you love her and don't blame her. Examine the eggs, tell her how proud you

are of her."



"I don't know if I can," Arri replied, tears threatening again. She felt so

afraid.



Latnem pulled a surgical knife from his pocket and held it over his heart.

"Then you'd better push this in, because *I* am going in, and if you don't

talk to them, I'll die anyway." It was a bluff, because Chrysthal knew him,

but she didn't know that.



But he knew her well enough that if she thought he would be hurt, she'd do

it, no matter how afraid or angry she was.



<:Daetyn?:> Arri called, nervous and afraid. <:May Latnem and I come and see

you?:>



The mental response of despair, fear and loneliness made Arri cry out in

pain and run across the sands to her dragon. The animals had no tear ducts,

but the overwhelming wash of emotion left her rider crying more than enough

for both of them.



Latnem put his knife back in his pocket and approached, slowly, just

watching.



Chrysthal raised her head and observed, as well.  As much as she'd tried to

comfort Daetyn, she knew that only her rider could heal her.



<You ... you don't hate me?> Daetyn finally managed to say through the

maelstrom.



<:Oh baby, how could I hate you? I'm just so afraid and hurt and... it's not

your fault...:> Arri wrapped her arms around her dragon and sobbed into her

hide helplessly. How could she have done this to her dragon - the only

reason she had for living?



<You didn't want to hear, you shut me out, you were so angry,> Daetyn said

wearily. <I was going to port out when the eggs hatched, since you didn't

want me anymore. I couldn't help it. I tried...>



Astounded, Arri stood up, coming around to look in Daetyn's eyes. <:You

wouldn't have...:>



<And why not,> replied her dragon sullenly. <How many times have you tried

to abandon me every time things got bad?>



The words hurt, deep inside somewhere, under the shells she had built around

her insecurities. For once in her life, the healer had absolutely nothing

she could say to her dragon. A'Rillia tried to imagine life without her

dragon, and the selfishness of her behavior in the past came full circle.



<:I... I am sorry,:> the woman said simply, tears falling from her eyes to

sizzle on the warm sand.



Dragon and rider looked at each other for a long moment, and finally Daetyn

nodded towards her belly.



Awkwardly, not sure what she wanted, Arri walked around to look at it. Huge

and ponderous, looking unrealistic on her dragon's small body, she reached

out to touch it. <:May I?:>



Daetyn's whuffle was all the assent she needed. With genuine admiration,

anger and fear lost at the miracle of the eggs inside of her dragon, she

reached out to touch one through the skin of her belly. Through the link,

she felt the flutter of a tiny mind, wanting out, out, OUT.



<Don't handle them too much,> Daetyn said softly, <We don't want them to

imprint on you.>



Torn, the healer kneeled in front of the bulge that represented the

culmination of her worst fears over the last five years. How could she deny

this to Daetyn? How could she protect herself from being hurt by it?



<Together,> Daetyn said softly into Arri's mind when the fear crept back.

<We'll figure it out together.>



Chrysthal and Latnem exchanged a long satisfied look.



=====

Day 9, late afternoon/early evening

Arri's Apartment



"And then what happened?" Arri asked.



"Then he said that I look like her, only that part of the conversation was

aloud and Corra heard it, and then we snuggled up and took a nap together.

So, I don't understand what Merissa is freaking out about. It's not like

he's stopped talking."



Arri looked at the other woman with a sigh. She would feel that way about

it, not realizing how incredibly rude it was to the others around her who

could not understand. Perhaps a demonstration was in order.



[No, it isn't as if he's stopped talking, but it is only a matter of time

until he stops listening,] signed Arri, knowing full well Xanthia couldn't

understand the language completely yet. Eleanora had been managing the

training tree well, but there was a world of difference between their

abilities, and Arri knew it. [If he grows accustomed to speaking in his

mind, he will forget to honor that others cannot hear him.]



"What are you doing?" Xanthia asked, confused, watching her hands. "It's

that hand talk that Eleanora does. I can't understand you, you're going too

fast."



[I know you can't understand me,] Arri replied, a grin creeping across her

face. [That's the entire point of this exercise, Xanthia. If you can't

understand me, imagine how much more frustrating it would be to not be able

to understand your child. Or be trapped in a room with two people talking

this way while you watched, seeing the fact that you couldn't understand as

YOUR problem, and not theirs, refusing to concede a little bit to be

polite.]



The redhead scowled. "A'Rillia, you're being rude. You know I can't follow

fast enough understand you, so talk to me!"



"Why is it so rude and heartless when Merissa asks you to do the same," the

healer replied mildly, putting her hands in her lap. "Now you know how it

feels to be in a room with people who talk amongst themselves in a way you

can't understand and blame YOU for not getting it."



Flustered, Xanthia pushed her hair out of her eyes. "How dare you. I'm not

blaming them for anything. You're telepathic, you should understand, you

know..."



Much to Xanthia's chagrin, Arri laughed aloud at the last statement. "I'm

not telepathic, and I never said I was. I am... how would you say...

psychometrically empathic - MAYBE - at great personal cost to myself. The

only reason I connected with Alina was because I was touching you, and she

was screaming blue blazes at anyone who would listen."



"And as a matter of fact, you ARE blaming them," she continued ascerbically.

"It's not your fault that Oberon can speak with his mind, but somehow it's

THEIR fault that they want him to learn to be able to communicate with the

rest of the Warren? Children learn by repetition. If Alina gets older and I

tell her what you want doesn't matter because you don't understand, how

would YOU feel about it?"



Letting Xanthia chew on that one for a while, she sipped her tea. Arri never

asked for this conversation, and she certainly wasn't a mind-healer. This

reminded her only

too well why she hated using her ability on people. Dragons were a lot less

complicated than people.



<If you and I spoke thusly in front of Sarah,> added Daetyn softly, tickling

the edge of her rider's mind, <She would accuse you of ignoring her, and

rightly so.>



<:Indeed beloved. How are you feeling?:>



The dragon snorted and looked over at Chrysthal. <Fat. Very fat.  But not as

fat as Chrysthal is,> the dragon added teasingly. <Of course, it will get

very crowded here soon...>



Her attention was dragged away from her dragon by the sound of Xanthia's

foot tapping on her floor. Sheepishly, Arri shrugged. "Sorry. Status check

with Daetyn. She says she feels very fat."



Laughing, Xanthia nodded. "I can imagine. I felt huge carrying Alina, I

can't imagine having seven or eight eggs."



"Five, actually," Arri replied. "First clutch. Chrysthal told her they're

always a little small."



A silence fell between them, and Xanthia got up. "I'll have to think about

what you've said. They've been telling me not to, but never explained why it

bothered them."



Politely, seeing the audience was over, Arri stood to see her out.

"Honestly, they probably don't quite know how to explain it, and even if

they did, are too polite to say so. The only true telepath I kno... knew,"

she corrected herself, thinking of David for a moment with a sad sigh,

"Explained that it's like trying to make a fish understand the taste of

chocolate."



Xanthia nodded and shook Arri's hand. "Thanks."



With a smile, the queenrider closed the door. Sometimes it was the small

things. If it made the little tiger's life easier by diffusing the strain

between his parents and his aunt, then it was worth it.



=====================

NRPG: Tag, Chris. And Latnem, what are you going to do with her now?



Sorry about the lag. Arlene, just work with the end of what I gave you and

keep writing Merissa. And Morgie, I hope this is better?



...Yes we know. The hatching should arrive soon. Very soon. We hope.



-Betty-