Oops

Writers: AL, Heather
Date Posted: 8th August 2014

Characters: Thayde, Irabel
Description: Irabel goes back to the fireflies, Thayde follows, then she falls.
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 8, day 8 of Turn 7

Thayde

The fireflies didn't limit their show to a single night. Their dance
began as the sun descended into the sea and it continued most of the
night. Irabel, affected by the beauty she had witnessed the night before,
elected to make her way out and down the beach. She turned to face the
the line of trees where the forest began and trekked up the hill, the sea
to her back. She paused upon the forest's edge and waited, then inched
forward as first one, then another light began to appear in the depths of
the shadows.

Thayde had been heading in to the main hall to retire for the evening when
he caught sight of Irabel moving up the large hill that rested against the
forest. He raised an eyebrow and in the end his curiosity won out as he
changed course and followed the other dolphineer.

She paused just inside the embrace of the edge of trees. She tilted her
head back to stare at the canopy that stretched above her and the
pinpoints of light that began to appear above. A smile curled at the
corners of her lips and she inched forward a little more to allow the
darkness to envelope her further.

What was she doing? Thayde's long strides finally brought him close enough
to realize that she was catching fireflies. That made him smile. He was
glad she was doing something besides work.

"Irabel." He called.

Irabel jerked at the sound of her name and then immediately let a rush of
air escape as one hand lifted to press against her chest. "Thayde. You
about gave me a heart attack." Her eyes darted about, but she could not
spy any children with him. "What are you doing here?"

"I am nosey I suppose. I saw you heading this way and followed to see
what you were doing." He admitted with a small grin.

Although the shadows swirled about her, colour darted into Irabel's
cheeks, as if she were a child with her hand caught in the cooking
jar. "I just...wanted to admire the fireflies again." They weren't as
prominent up North, at least not where she'd been. There hadn't been
a forest near the sea. Although she was still apprentice after she
and her mother had moved South, she had already been so wrapped up in
her craft that Irabel had never taken the time to really watch them -
until Thayde had purposefully pointed them out. Now she wondered why
she hadn't before.

"Well, don't let me stand in your way, I just thought I would say
hello." He took a couple of steps down the hill in retreat to show
that he wouldn't encroach upon her privacy.

"You ah...don't have to go. If you don't want." The fireflies didn't
belong only to her, so why should she be selfish? As if to give
weight to her words, she motioned toward the hill, a subsequent
invitation.

"No, it's all right. I was heading in doors anyway. Have to be up
early in the morning." He turned around, "Have a good night Irabel."
Thayde began marching back down toward the Hall.

"Oh. Okay." Irabel turned and continued to climb further up the
hill. It grew steeper and she had to bend forward just to keep from
toppling back. Unfortunately, as she moved upward, her foot slipped
and pain shot through her ankle and leg. Irabel cried out as she
fell, then slid a little ways down the hill.

Thayde whirled around, "Irabel!" With sure feet he scaled the hill up
to where she was and crouched down beside her, "Are you all right?"

"Ow. No. Ow." Irabel's air hissed through her teeth and she pushed
herself to a seated position, face contorted. "Ah...stupid. Stupid,
stupid stupid."

The Hallsecond made a sympathetic sound as he reached his hands
forward, "Stop moving and let me have a look." His specialty in the
dolphin craft was healing, and although that was mostly for dolphins
he had done a lot of work with healercrafters in preparation.

Irabel stilled herself as best she could. The original shock was
wearing off and settling into a sharpness that sported an undercurrent
of pounding ache.

"Well you have definitely sprained it." Thayde said as he ran gentle
fingers over Irabel's ankle and foot to gauge the damage. "Nothing too
major, I don't believe. You should probably stay off it a couple of
days, and then be easy with it, and in a sevenday it should be fine."
He took one of her arms, looped it around his neck, hooked his other
arm beneath her knees and lifted her easily, "I'll wrap it for you."

A sevenday! Another hiss escaped as even that movement sparked pain.
Although he was strong and probably wouldn't drop her, Irabel still
clung to him, a little off balance between the fall and the strange
position she was sudden thrust in. "Thanks." She murmured, her
embarrassment returning in full force to throw a blanket of pink over
her face.

"I am just glad it's not more serious. Can't have you injured before
your big mission." Thayde said with a smile as he carried Irabel back
down to where the dolphin infirmary was located. Heading inside he
took her to his desk and set her down in his chair while he dug out
some bandages and tape so that he could wrap her ankle.

"No." Irabel was so grateful she had a few sevendays before they had
to leave. With the new parameters, it had been postponed a litte so
they could prepare better for the added portion of the mission. A
wince scrunched her fingers as he set her down but the pink refused to
leave her face. Her hands dropped to her lap and she watched him as
he rummaged through supplies. "Thanks. And...I'm sorry."

Thayde chuckled and shook his head, "What are you apologizing to me
for? You are the one with a sprained ankle." He pulled up another
chair and put her foot in his lap. Carefully he removed the woman's
sandal, and then began wrapping her ankle.

"It's an inconvenience for you." Irabel tried not to make any noises
in response to the pain as he did his best to minister to her without
causing more. It wasn't his fault that a sing motion made it hurt,
even if it was a gentle one.

"My specialty is healing," he said, looking up at her with those dark
brown eyes, "so trust me when I say that this is not an inconvenience.
Now purposefully breaking my favorite sculpture might be an
inconvenience." Thayde grinned a little as he finished wrapping her
ankle and glanced to the dolphin figurine on his desk.

Irabel followed his gaze and let her own settled upon the
aforementioned piece. She studied it a moment, her head tilting with
an occasional wince appearing whenever she had to move her foot even
slightly. "Did you make that?"

"Oh, of course not. It was a gift." Thayde said with a smile, "Do you
need me to carry you back to your room?

"Who gave it to you?" As soon as she asked it, Irabel wondered if she
was too nosey and more colour sprang to her cheeks. "Um. I guess I
can hop to my room." It would be painful, but she could do it if she
had to.

"My mother gave it to me when I first came South." Thayde explained,
and then speared Irabel with a look, "I'm not letting you hop all that
way. You will end up tripping and breaking your neck and then how will
I explain that to Famell?" He stood and reached for her, "Come on,
I'll carry you."

"Um. Okay." Irabel wasn't going to argue, even if she felt odd being
toted around like a sack of tubers. Well, not quite like a sack of
tubers, but it was still weird. As he lifted her, she cast another
glance at the figurine. "It's pretty. You don't have family down
here?"

"My brothers and sisters are scattered about but my parents are still
in the North. My mother was a dolphineer and my father was a
seacrafter. I got it honest." He explained with the hint of a smile on
his face as he carried her inside the hall and toward the journeyman's
quarters.

Her gaze flicked away as the door closed the figurine from sight and
then rest upon his face. "Mine were as well. My mother's a
dolphineer. My father was a seacrafter. I guess it's a natural
pairing."

"It is." Thayde agreed, thinking of his parents warm and loving
relationship. He had hoped to find something similar by this point in
his life but everything up till then had been focused on earning
Master status. And now here he was, a Master. "Which room is yours?"
He asked when they arrived on the hallway.

"The one at the end." Oh shards, he was going to see her room.
Another wave of embarrassment hit her and really wished she'd thought
to straighten up. Time always got away from her. "On the right."

Thayde turned, opened the door, pushed it open and then stepped back
and carefully walked through so that he didn't bump Irabel on the door
frame when he entered. He thought little of the condition of her room,
he'd had two sisters younger than him after all, and instead deposited
on her bed with a flourish, "And here you are madam. The safety of
your room."

If Irabel's life was coordinated and well planned her room lacked such
character. Various things were strewn here and there. A pile of
laundry that was waiting to be washed squatted on the floor in a
corner while two different swim suits had been flung over the back of
a chair. Various towels hung from various places, and here and there
were a couple of small tokens, including a brass ring mounted on a
wooden plaque.

"Do you need anything before I go?" Thayde asked.

Irabel shook her head, not sure if she trusted herself to speak. It
was really all too embarrassing and she'd be glad when he was gone.

"I will check on you tomorrow then. Have a good night." The
Hallmaster's Second left her room then, gently closing the door behind
him.

Last updated on the September 6th 2014

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