More Than A Broken Hand?(Althesia, Rivaly)

[dragon]

Oh what a pain it had been to sleep with that hand. Making sure he didn't start off sleeping wrong, hoping he avoided any wrong movements while asleep and hoping his...bed partner did the same. Thankfully J'rad wasn't one to toss and turn in bed. He found restful sleep, as usual. Althesia must be the same because there was no jolt of pain that woke him up, simply his own natural alarm clock doing it for him.

J'rad sat up and rubbed his eyes with his one good hand and let out a mighty yawn. Oh what a night it had been just prior to sleep. J'rad really didn't want to think of it right now. He didn't feel like dealing with the conversation topics of last night. The only thing he could really think of was the pain his hand was in. His reaction to said pain was rather vocal too as he let out a grunt or two.

That must have been enough to stir Althesia awake, or so one man could only assume. She seemed all too ready to rush him to the infirmery to see a healer. J'rad protested, of course, but they fell on deaf ears. He had to admit, he couldn't hope to do his duties to their fullest with a broken hand. If he didn't go to one now with Althesia, S'lyn would only likely order him to go there himself. Better to get this over with now than later.

As he got dressed, he looked over his hand. It was considerably swollen and there seemed to be bruises forming. Just how hard could he have punched that wall? He could only wonder. However, he couldn't think on it for long. Althesia was quick to rush him off, as he buttoned the last few buttons on his shirt while the two headed out.

J'rad found the time to get there was short, or shorter than he'd like. To be honest, he'd avoid all this if he could. Too much of a fuss and a hassle for him. However, too late to back out now. Here they were, waiting for a healer to look him over. The scowl on his face was that of typical J'rad. He'd certainly been to see a healer a number of times. That time when he impressed, perhaps a fight or two or more, there was no telling what all he'd done to have to see a healer. J'rad detested it every time.

[anhydrous]

Not known for her early mornings, Althesia was woken by her bronzer’s vocal expression of pain. Fighting off sleep to recall the previous night, the girl’s dazed expression quickly shifted into a cringe. Embarrassing. Her furrowed brow was turned towards J’rad’s silence on the matter thankfully, but that didn’t stop her from hassling him. If a healer didn’t look at that hand it might soon become irreparable.

As she expected, Althesia had to bitch and moan to get J’rad moving. He might be stubborn, but she was worse. She all but dragged him through the corridors, one hand resting lightly on his arm near the inner crease of his elbow. The contact was meant to be comforting, encouraging, perhaps.

Then again, it might have felt to J’rad like she was using the touch to herd him onwards. He had already been scowling when they had left the weyr, so his annoyance at the additional support was hard to gauge.

Eventually they came to infirmary door, Althesia’s eyes drifting up to her bronzer’s face. Something told her that this wasn’t the usual aggravation, but she remained relatively quiet. All she did was carefully lead him into the room, her gaze searching past the perfectly made beds for someone who might help.

Catching sight of a woman who couldn’t be much older than herself, the harper called forth her best polite tone. “Excuse me?” she said lightly, imploring while tightening her grip possessively on J’rad’s good arm. That gesture served two purposes, one to remind him that he wasn’t to attempt an escape, the other to remind him that he belonged to her. Althesia didn’t know if that would comfort him or not, but she always felt better when it seemed that someone cared…

She wasn’t familiar with the infirmary staff and didn’t know if she was speaking to an aid or someone in charge, but a kind tone used at the right time could usually get you whatever you needed. “Could we possibly have some help?” She was careful not to demand, but there was the slightest note of urgency lurking in the lilt of her words.

[blueaid]

"Possibly." Rivaly looked up but briefly from where she was putting labels on pots of numbweed, where she was stowing those labeled pots into cupboards. With a short glance, squinted while her glasses were tucked over the neckline of her blouse, she took in the state of the two who'd just come in.

No one was gushing blood. They were both standing upright. She frowned down at the last label she had to paste onto a pot, then put the whole of her work aside and hopped off of her stool. Keen eyes took note of Althesia's possessive hand, of J'rad's reticent-looking scowl, of the whole of the two of them before she dusted off her perfectly clean fingers and approached with her most meticulously Healer-ly smile.

Pleasant, like she could dispel the possibility of pain simply by making light of it with her tone and her smile and the perfect ease of her presence, she asked the pair of them, "Who's hurt and how?" With one hand moving to put spectacles in place, the other one beckoned toward an empty cot where whichever one of them could be poked and prodded and made generally uncomfortable. Some unspoken rule of Healerdom to make as infirmaries as unpleasant as possible to try and deter future visits, perhaps?

[dragon]

J'rad was still refusing to think about the issue that caused this fuss. For now, he'd focus on the fuss itself. Better to think about a broken hand that what the other option held. He wasn't looking forward to it really. He'd rather ignore it like it never happened, but that'd be impossible since it did happen. An unpleasant look, more so than normal, crossed his features momentarily at the thought.

However, the scowl remained as the healer made herself known. Now the fun would begin, he thought to himself drly. "I am", the bronzerider got straight to the point, his tone harsh and tongue sharp as ever. Perhaps his normal tone but it seemed there was something really bothering him, something that made him especially irritable. Though, it wasn't directed at the healer. Yet. He was quick to loosen Althesia's hold with a slight jerk of his wrist, making his way to the bed.

His walk was as confident and proud as ever as each stepped seemed bolder than the first. He sat down at the bed the healer suggested and rested his right hand on his knee. However, he hissed in pain just a bit. As if it were just barely audible, just enough to know where the problem itself was. "It's my right hand", he said plain toned and with a shrug as he leaned to his left. Better that the pressure be on the left hand that was now resting on his knee than the right that was broken. He didn't feel the need to say much more than that, figuring she'd prod away with object or question.

He hadn't once glanced over at Althesia since they arrived in here, really. No look of any kind. He did not look at her with anger, lust, despair, or sorrow. He simply kept his gaze at something else other than the two women he found in his company. Why? One would ask. Surely J'rad would want her to know how he felt. He didn't really hide anything or dance around things. He was too straight forward for that. So. Why? Because he was conflicted. Truth be told, if he knew exactly what he'd felt then he'd have looked at her with a gaze to reflect what his feelings were. But right now, he wasn't even thinking of it much less trying to solve it.

[anhydrous]

Althesia hadn’t realized that her bronzer was still upset until he had ripped his arm from her grip. True, J’rad had been quiet on the walk to the infirmary, but he was always like that. He didn’t waste words, any ounce of insight forcibly pried from his stubborn lips. Usually one for conversation, Althesia found her mouth quieted by the stern steadiness of J’rad. That was one of his qualities that she despised and adored simultaneously.

His silence on this morning was different, though. Prickling and strained instead of effortlessly comfortable. She should have noticed the difference, and yet, it had completely escaped her. Now he wouldn’t meet her eyes, and she felt disgust welling up in her chest. It was nauseating, the floor seeming to drop out from beneath her.

Leaning against the wall in a nondescript fashion, Althesia sought to carefully steady herself. It wasn’t like she was the center of attention, J’rad taking careful measures to ignore her while the healer looked at his hand, but she really didn’t want anyone’s concern. This was entirely her fault. What had she expected?

Really, she had just assumed. She had taken his avoidance of the issue to mean that it was closed. Didn’t he hate it when she pried? Memories of such irritation flared as she ran through similar instances, her eyes darting between his eyes as she searched out the pointed aversion of his stare. What the hell did he want? She had apologized! Anger flared and was simultaneously smothered, her entire body abruptly weak and exhausted. She didn’t know what to do.

The harper, suddenly impassive, stood motionless at the far side of the cot, her shoulder against the cool stone of the wall. The world was returning to order in her mind’s eye and she let go of her emotions, tossing them aside and watching the proceedings with a blank stare. She didn’t want to get in the healer’s way, hands hanging limply at her side as she left J’rad completely exposed to the other woman’s inspection. Had she noticed that he had skirted one of her questions? Althesia would have been curious to know, but her lapse into apathy prevented such a thing. She needed a drink.

[blueaid]

It didn't take a full apprenticeship at Healer Hall to read the writing on the wall between Althesia and J'rad, their whole byplay summarized in the space of Rivaly's short, concise glance. Oh, how much those green eyes discerned while they flicked between the two of them for a second, maybe two, and then she cleared her throat quietly as if to remind them that they may want to keep their privacy a bit more... Private?

Granted, they weren't being exactly overt, and maybe they had no reason to know her focus, but she still acknowledged the depth of her understanding in that little reminder.

"So. Your hand?" Rivaly chased Althesia toward where she retired before she reached for the bronzerider's injured hand, her own fingers delicate and careful. She cupped one hand under his wrist and sought to turn his hand over in her own. "Do you want to tell me what happened before we get to the particularly painful bits?" She paused just long enough to imply that he could supply a name if he was feeling charitable.

[dragon]

J'rad, ever straight to the point, answered with no hesitation or prancing words. "I punched a rock wall and now my hand hurts", was the blunt answer, like a charging beast. "It's undoubtedly broken", he added, as if she should have already known this. The swelling and bruises likely gave this away. J'rad wasn't wanting to say any more. He just grunted in dissatisfaction when at the mention of "painful bits". That was the last audible response from the stern man. He wasn't going to enjoy this visit one bit. Next time, he'd simply makeshift his own cure and be done with it. Poor stubborn J'rad.

No acknowledgement of Althesia yet reached his mind, but his thoughts were starting to lean towards thinking that perhaps he should ponder over this. He hadn't really had the time to think the entire situation over. his only reaction was to get up, spout harsh words, and punch a wall. Once Althesia broke into sobs he wasn't going to pursue anything further. The best option, to him, was to sleep on it and deal with it at a later time. Clearly that later time was approaching ever closer. Later time it may would be, but would it be the right time?

[anhydrous]

Althesia was lost to the world. Her eyes might have physically watched as Rivaly shot glances between them, but the gesture was devoid of any meaning by the time it reached the Harper’s brain. She was having trouble focusing, the static of indifference drowning out J’rad’s blunt reply.

Suddenly the picture snapped into focus as the other woman took her bronzer’s hand, Rivaly’s perfectly proportioned fingers gliding methodically over J’rad’s injury. There was nothing but professionalism in the healer’s searching stare, but that didn’t stop Althesia from watching her like a hawk.

Something ghastly was clawing at her stomach, tearing her insides to shreds every moment that J’rad ignored her. An irrational array of firing nerves sent waves of jealousy across Althesia’s previously apathetic consciousness, acutely aware of the stinging sensation. She kept such emotions out of her features, but the fist nearest the wall tightened incrementally.

Was this how her bonzer had felt? Protective, no, possessive nature trumping rational thought? For now Althesia could only speculate, the fire in her stomach slowly burning its way upward. Every fiber of her being was irritated, something uncomfortably intruding upon her.

It took her a moment to realize just how horrible she felt, and she was almost surprised. Was it her own doing or J’rad’s response? If he hadn’t been mad, would she have still felt guilty? That was the true question of her decency, but Althesia was much too busy studying Rivaly’s hands to debate it.

[blueaid]

Composure alone would prevent Rivaly from looking utterly shocked-and-horrified at the cause for J'rad's injury, but one brow twitched upward on its own when she looked from the swollen hand to the stubborn man. "That's not," she began, her lips pursed thoughtfully when she guided J'rad's arm to extend so the hand hovered in the open space between them. For now, palm up. "A particularly effective means of coping with your anger." A slight smile, inwardly amused, and then a sideways look to the present-but-distant Harper.

Behold, the olive branch-- "I'm sorry, Harper. I usually have an assistant for these things, but it seems you two are acquainted? May I ask you to come and hold that glowbasket so I can get a little better light, please?" Because it wasn't enough that J'rad was here injured; she'd have to perpetuate the discomfort by bringing an obvious source of awkwardness right into the fray.

Still smiling, she added for J'rad, "This is likely to hurt a great deal," as she held his wrist with one hand and carefully carefully caaaaaarefully extended his fingers with the gentlest pressure from her other hand, sought to uncurl the injured digits and test their straightness with the light passage of her forefinger.

[dragon]

"Anger has little to do with rationality", J'rad spat out in usual irritable tone. Sharp the words may be, but true they were. J'rad was a stern, proud, irritable man but usually rational thought did stay with him. When he was truely angry, truely upset, that seemed to run away from him rather quickly. Punching a wall in a fit of frustration and anger seemed the right thing to do at the time. Better the pain outward than inward? Maybe not the concept J'rad was looking for.

J'rad only groaned in irritation and rolled his eyes at the mention of how much this would hurt. He knew it would. But really, did anyone want to hear those words? The thoughts quickly left J'rad as the healer began peeling back his curled fingers. A loud grunt of pain was easily heard as she straightened his fingers. He'd rather stick his hand in a fire than endure this, or so he thought. Teeth gritted, clinched hard as he parted his lips in displeasure and discomfort. They almost seemed like fangs, as though he were ready to lash out and draw blood at any moment.

[anhydrous]

Althesia’s eyes flicked up to meet the healer’s as she spoke, slightly surprised. She hadn’t been expecting to be addressed. While she didn’t really see the need for her interference, she could find nothing impolite in Rivaly’s tone to refuse to. Obliging anyone for any reason wasn’t really her cup of tea, but J’rad was being rude enough to the healer for the both of them. Thus, Althesia approached wordlessly with the glowbasket.

The fingers of her empty hand curled tentatively, eventually finding their way into her mouth while J’rad was wincing and growling. She bit at the calloused skin around her nails, the metallic sting of blood meeting her tongue almost immediately. Watching phases of pain cross her bronzer’s face, she spoke unassumingly to the inspecting healer. “Can’t you numb it?” It was by no means an order, although perhaps a careful suggestion. A much as Althesia hated it when people interfered with own work, she couldn’t help voicing the idea to Rivaly. The hisses that were being forced past J’rad’s lips were hard to ignore.

[blueaid]

Ah, but Rivaly was unmoved by the bared fangs. Likely, by now, she'd been the recipient of enough death-threats from the sink-and-injured to take them with the grain of salt they deserved. For what it was worth, she had considerably more delicacy with her fingers than the doddering old Healer that shared her duties in the infirmary-- so it could be worse! "We should talk about this wall-punching anger of yours some time," she commented blithely, testing the lay of the man's fingers once they'd been outstretched. Her "mmn" didn't sound very promising.

She blinked behind those partially-smudged spectacles at Althesia's suggestion, a quick series of lash-bats to underscore the surprise for the Harper's interjection. "Of course I can." But being able to numb it and actually numbing it were two entirely different matters, and she did not suit action to words just yet. "Bit higher please? Thank you."

True to her words, it was going to hurt a great deal. After getting the fingers stretched, assured that there were no grossly broken bones, Rivaly curled both hands around J'rad's one injured one and began the meticulous and painful process of pressing the bones between her fingers to feel out where the worst of the injury was. She fell silent then, her eyes turned down to the purpled skin, and trusted to her own good luck that she wasn't going to suffer the same fate as the wall that the man felt it necessary to attack.

Of course, there were always restraints on the edge of the bed if it came to that.

[dragon]

J'rad spat at her words. "Pah. I need my hand fixed and nothing more", J'rad snarled, beyond his usual aggitation. Easily provoked he may be, but how dare she suggest such a thing. J'rad had no such use of things. As long as he was fit and able to perform his duties as a dragonrider, then he needed nothing more.

J'rad ignored Althesia's question and the healer's answer. He cared not how the procedure went, as long as his hand could be healed properly. On top of that, regardless her closeness, J'rad still looked away from Althesia. However, now that the two were so close to one another things did indeed become awkward. Now he was pursuing thoughts of how to figure all this out. He was starting to get there, but the specific topic itself, the facts, and possible solutions were still beyond J'rad to think about.

Perhaps his dragon would have a helpful word or two, a bit of advice, to share to his stern bonded. However, the beast was asleep on his couch. He had not stirred since some time after the two went to bed and as long as his rider wasn't pestering him for work or keeping him awake in some other form then sleep he would. Such a rare chance this was for a day in.

As Rivaly began pressing bones between her fingers, J'rad's hiss was ever louder. It was especially painful around the four knuckles of his fingers and his wrist, and one finger in particular was killing him. Perhaps it took the brunt of the force from a punch thrown wrong or awkwardly. J'rad really didn't choose how he punched the wall, it wasn't a planned thing. So a punch thrown wrong was a very possible thing. A growl escaped J'rad's lips as they curled into a more painful scowl when she hit the more sensitive areas.

[anhydrous]

Already annoyed with the way J’rad was behaving, Althesia found the healer’s reply particularly intolerable. Sure, Rivaly was the one with the training and she undoubtedly knew what she was doing, but that didn’t make her terse words and pretentious manner any more enjoyable.

When prompted to hold the glow higher, Althesia pointedly made absolutely no effort to adjust her arm. The immature thanks for an action she didn’t intend to perform was an added bonus.

The wrinkle between her eyebrows was the only other outward signal of her irritation other than her insignificant defiance. Inwardly her mind was entertaining the thought of tossing the glowbasket on the ground to catch J’rad’s attention and then making an incredibly rude hand gesture towards both healer and bronzerider, but for now she resisted the temptation.

What hurt most was the fact that she had actually reduced herself to tears over this stupid dragonman. His only display of affection, if one could call it that, was violence when his territory was encroached upon. She felt incredibly foolish for caring, and actually considered leaving him to attend to his injury alone.

Such thoughts were interrupted by a groan of pain, temporarily keeping her feet planted to the spot. Althesia scowled. Forget numbweed. She childishly hoped that the healer was hurting him more than necessary.

[blueaid]

Around a smile, Rivaly replied, "Then all you shall get is your hand fixed and nothing more."

Shaking her head, she neatly lowered his hand to the side of the cot, done prodding at it for now, and looked between the two of them. Whatever else she might have construed of their relationship, she still spoke to Althesia as if she were part-and-parcel, as if this injury was as much the Harper's as the rider's. "You've smashed your knuckles, which will probably heal on your own. Your wrist is probably no more than a bad sprain, but we'll splint it up just to be safe. And."

And and and. She moved away at that point, leaving Althesia to hold the glowbasket for nothing, heading toward a supply cabinet with her head shaking in a most disappointed gesture. "You've got a fighter's fracture-- the bone in your hand just below your pinky." Very seriously, turning back to look first at Althesia then at J'rad; "Please don't punch walls any more. They do tremendously bad things to your hands." With a sigh.